Around one in 10 adults in Wychavon have still not received a coronavirus vaccine, figures suggest – one year after they were all offered the chance to get their first jab.
All over-18s in England have been eligible to book a Covid vaccination since mid-June 2021, in what marked a milestone for the vaccine rollout.
Data from NHS England shows 103,345 people aged 18 and over in Wychavon had received a first dose of the vaccine by June 5 – at least 90.3% of those in the area, based on the number of people on the National Immunisation Management Service.
But it means roughly 9.7% remain unvaccinated.
Using Office for National Statistics data, which experts say are more accurate at a national level, figures show around 93.3% of adults across England had received a first jab by June 5.
Dr Simon Williams, of Swansea University, has been running a study into the public's attitude towards vaccines, and said ethnicity and deprivation are the two biggest factors which can help explain the inequalities in vaccine coverage.
Highest Covid vaccine uptake among older age groups
He said a younger age demographic, vaccine misinformation and social norms have all contributed to low uptake rates in some areas.
He added: "Vaccines are the tools to continue to reduce the harm that Covid inflicts on people, including death and hospitalisations, but also reducing future rates of long Covid which currently affects 1.2 million people and the long term impacts we still don't fully understand.
"We also need to better engage with some communities to understand what economic, social and cultural factors might be explaining why uptake is so low."
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Mr Williams said many people think the pandemic is over and are much less worried about the risk of infection now, but the unvaccinated are still at a greater risk of infection and serious illness than those who have been fully vaccinated.
With 78.5% having received at least one vaccine, those aged 30-34 have the highest refusal rates in Wychavon.
By comparison, the 75-79 age bracket has the highest uptake in the area – 98.5%.
Meanwhile, at least 11.3% of 5-11 year-olds, 67.8% of 12-15 year-olds and 81.9% of 16-17 year-olds have been jabbed.
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