Northamptonshire neighbourhoods turning down Covid jabs as seven more die with virus in NGH and KGH

Two Northamptonshire neighbourhoods are in the bottom ten out of more than 570 in the East Midlands with the lowest vaccine take-up.

Government ministers trumpted earlier this week how more than three-quarters of adults in the UK have now received both doses of coronavirus vaccine.

Yet the proportion of adults in Northampton and Corby who have had even one jab is just 71 per cent with those in younger age groups and pregnant women particularly reluctant to take up offers.

Fewer than half of over-18s in Northampton's Town Centre & Semilong and St Michael's localities — around 9,500 people — have had no vaccine at all.

More than a third of the adult population is unvaccinated in Corby Town, Kingswood and Kettering Central neighbourhoods, according to NHS England data.

NHS England has also confirmed seven Covid-19 patients sadly died at Northamptonshire's two main hospitals between August 2 and August 9.

Staff at Northamptonshire's two acute hospitals have now seen more than 1,200 people die with the virus since the pandemic began.

More than 50 patients were in Northamptonshire hospital beds after testing positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday (August 10) — many admitted with respiratory illness, shortness of breath and fever.

Infection Control teams studying vaccination rates found a significant number of Covid-19 patients in hospital have been unvaccinated.

KGH’s Medical Director, Dr Rabia Imtiaz, said: "We are seeing people of all ages, especially the younger age groups, who are now needing to be admitted to hospital because they have contracted Covid but have not been vaccinated.

“You can still catch Covid after being vaccinated but the evidence suggests it reduces the risk of you becoming very seriously ill or dying.

“Covid-19 is still a serious illness and people should do everything they can to prevent themselves from contracting it.

"So of you haven’t yet been vaccinated please do so at the first opportunity.”

Sky News has reported how a Cardiff man who had to bury his unvaccinated mother, father and brother after they died with Covid-19 says it is "absolutely vital" people get their jab.

Francis Goncalves said all three had chosen not to have the vaccine, but said: "They were afraid. They had a lot of information passed through the internet, you can call it disinformation, misleading people.

"I do feel given a few more weeks they would have considered a vaccine but they were very against it... I really wish they had."

Local health chiefs have begged residents to help keep the number of Covid cases in check with regular lateral flow testing and reducing risk of transmission.

Yet there has however been a notable decline in the uptake of rapid tests in recent days.

Pregnant women across the UK are being urged to be vaccinated as new research shows Covid infection during pregnancy carries a significant risk of hospital admission and a higher risk of preterm birth.

The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the Royal College of Midwives are both recommending vaccination as one of the best defences against severe infection.

In Northamptonshire, 964,212 jabs have now been administered with 79.2 percent of people having received a first dose and 66.4 per cent both jabs by Wednesday (August 11).

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said yesterday (Thursday) a total of 87,184,438 jabs have now been administered, with 89.2 percent of people having received a first jab and 75.7 percent two doses.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the milestone as "a huge national achievement which we should all be proud of."