Young people lagging behind on Covid jabs
18-29 AGE GROUP HAVE LOWEST VACCINATION RATE
IN parts of Derby fewer than 40% of people aged 18 to 24 have had a Covid vaccine – the lowest in the county. Across all the age groups, Derbyshire’s youngest residents are those who have been vaccinated the least against Covid-19.
Of more than 155,000 aged 18 to 29, nearly 43,000 have not yet had a jab – around one in four.
IN parts of Derby fewer than 40 per cent of people aged 18 to 24 have had a Covid vaccine – the lowest in the county.
Across all age groups from 18-24 to 80+, the county’s youngest residents have been vaccinated the least against Covid-19.
Of the more than 155,000 residents aged 18 to 29, almost 43,000 have not yet had a Covid jab – around one in every four.
In Derby, of the more than 48,000 in that age band more than 17,600 have not yet had a jab – one in three.
All residents aged 18 and over are eligible for Covid vaccines, and this was widened to residents aged 16 and 17 in early August.
Areas of Derby are home to the lowest rates of vaccination in the whole county, due to a variety of different reasons, including access and issues linked to deprivation and disinformation.
Derbyshire has punched above its weight throughout the vaccination roll-out, with Derby ranking well nationally compared with other cities. However, the city is also home to the parts of Derbyshire which have seen the fewest young people vaccinated. These are:
Rose Hill & Castleward - 37.88 per cent of 18-24, 44.16 per cent of 25-29
New Normanton - 38.35 per cent of 18-24, 42.21 per cent of 25-29
Normanton North & Pear Tree 39.66 per cent of 18-24, 44.31 per cent of 25-29
Health leaders have been pushing for months to encourage Derby’s most at risk, the city’s minority communities and the city’s young people to go and get vaccinated.
GPs in the most deprived areas of the city - Lister House, Wilson St, Horizon, Friar Gate, Macklin St, Osmaston and Derwent Medical have been calling clinically vulnerable patients individually to try and convince them to have the vaccine.
Pop-up jab clinics have been setup and walk-in sessions have been held across the county - including a number at Derby Arena.
Earlier this month, in a push to get Derbyshire’s youngest to get vaccinated, the Local Democracy Reporting Service spoke to Dr Drew Smith.
Dr Smith is a Wilson Street Surgery GP and clinical director of Derby City GP vaccination programme.
He said: “There is clear evidence of the protective benefit of the vaccines, that is how society has been able to continue to open up to allow us to return to a more normal way of life and meet up with family and friends and go to the cinema, restaurants and bars.
“Although some people do, unfortunately, catch Covid or a variant of it – despite being vaccinated – there is also evidence that how unwell they are is less than before the vaccination programme.
That has also seen a reduction in Covid hospital admissions and Covid-related death.”
In June, when all residents aged over 18 had been offered appointments, Dr Smith told the LDRS: “I’d like to see people take up the offer of a vaccine and if they have questions we have clinical directors and staff on hand to answer them and it is a safe environment. “If we all as a collective group want what we consider as normal we need to stop the slowing uptake of the vaccine.” He suggested that “falsehoods” on social media may be partially to blame.
Dr Smith also said the 18-30 age group is more at risk due to being more likely to have to leave the house for work or education. He had said there is a heightened risk for those in this age group in more deprived parts of the city, where there is higher dependence on public transport and the additional public health risks associated with it.
A spokesperson for Derby City Council said: “We are working in partnership with the NHS, GPs and wider partners to continually promote Covid-19 vaccination to all age groups, including the younger age groups and encourage access to bookable and walk-in appointments.
“People are still very much encouraged to get their first and second dose if they have not already done so.”
If we all want what we consider as normal, we need to stop the slowing uptake of the vaccine Dr Drew Smith