One in three young adults in England have not had Covid jab

29 July 2021, 18:22 | Updated: 29 July 2021, 18:27

Pop-up vaccine clinics are one of the measures being used to try to increase vaccine uptake in young people. Picture: Alamy

By Daisy Stephens

Nearly a third of young adults in England have still not had a first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, figures show.

Just over 68 per cent of people aged 18 to 29 had received a first dose by July 25, according to estimates from NHS England, leaving around 2.7 million adults under 30 unjabbed.

"What I would say to that group of people is please get vaccinated for your own benefit, for your loved ones, but for your wider community," said Health Secretary Sajid Javid, speaking to the PA news agency on Wednesday during a visit to a vaccination centre in London.

"For young people, they should think of vaccines as being liberating. Everyone wants to see a return to normal. We're on that journey to normal and we're doing it because of the vaccines.

"But for young people who want to travel, it really helps you to get vaccinated, and that's the way things are heading."

All adults in England have been able to book a first dose since June 18.

The Government has urged young adults to come forward for a first jab, while announcing plans for a Covid vaccine passport that would make full vaccination a requirement for entry to nightclubs and other venues from the end of September.

Also, from August 16, fully-jabbed adults will no longer need to self-isolate if identified as a contact of a positive Covid-19 case.

Pop-up vaccination clinics are also being opened at shopping centres, parks and even theme parks across the country, to make getting a vaccination even easier.

Whilst the vaccination figures for under 30s are a small improvement on the previous week, low take up in this age group continues to have an impact on the overall rate of vaccination in England.

Gender also appears to play a role, with vaccine take-up in this age group around eight per cent lower for men than for women.

Take-up also varies by location, with the lowest vaccination rates in places including Birmingham, Coventry and parts of London, and the highest in places such as Cambridge and Woking.

Mr Javid acknowledged "the one area where we need to do more collectively" is to get 18 to 29-year-olds to take up the offer of a jab.