Newcastle and Middlesbrough worst areas for vaccine uptake map reveals

NHS figures show that more than 18 million Covid vaccinations have been delivered right across the region, including 4.9 million booster jabs.

People in the region who have yet to come forward are being urged to do at the earliest opportunity possible.

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Dr Yvette Oade, NHS clinical lead of the regional vaccination programme, said NHS teams across the region continue to vaccinate “thousands of people every day against Covid-19.”

She added: “The vaccination programme has played a really big role in keeping people fit and well and opening up society.

Vaccine uptake for the first dose

“We are still seeing people come forward for their first doses and are pleased and delighted to welcome them.”

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Dr Oade added that Covid-19 “is still active” and the vaccine offers the “best protection against becoming seriously unwell.”

However, some areas of the North East are still seeing fairly low vaccine dose uptakes, especially for the third booster jab.

Vaccine uptake for the third dose

So we have had a look to see how the vaccination programme is going in the North East and North Yorkshire and which areas are falling short.

Newcastle and Middlesbrough are the two areas in the North East with the lowest vaccine uptake with booster rates lower than the average across the region.

How the North East compares - in order of booster jab uptake

This data is the percentage of people aged 12+ vaccinated up to and including March 22

Hambleton:

First dose: 92.2%

Second dose: 88.7%

Booster or third dose: 77.2%

Ryedale:

First dose: 90.6%

Second dose: 86.9%

Booster or third dose: 76%

Northumberland:

First dose: 90.5%

Second dose: 86.7%

Booster or third dose: 72.5%

North Tyneside:

First dose: 88.5%

Second dose:  84.2%

Booster or third dose: 67.5%

County Durham:

First dose 86.9%

Second dose: 82.1%

Booster or third dose 66.3%

Redcar and Cleveland:

First dose: 86.9%

Second dose: 82.3%

Booster or third dose: 65.3%

Darlington:

First dose: 85.7%

Second dose: 81.1%

Booster or third dose: 64.8%

Stockton-on-Tees:

First dose: 85.4%

Second dose: 80.2%

Booster or third dose: 63.6%

Sunderland:

First dose: 85.3%

Second dose: 80.5%

Booster or third dose 62.8%

Gateshead:

First dose: 85.1%

Second dose: 80.6%

Booster or third dose: 62.7%

South Tyneside:

First dose: 83.2%

Second dose: 78.8%

Booster or third dose: 61.4%

Hartlepool:

First dose: 83.5%

Second dose: 78.2%

Booster or third dose: 59.4%

Middlesbrough:

First dose: 77.1%

Second dose: 71%

Booster or third dose: 52.7%

Newcastle upon Tyne:

First dose: 75.2%

Second dose: 69.8%

Booster or third dose: 52.2%

Lorna Smith, interim Director of Public Health at Newcastle City Council, said the council "continue to look to find ways to remove the barriers people face in getting vaccinated."

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She said: "Partners and residents across the city have put in an enormous amount of work to make vaccines as accessible as possible to everybody in Newcastle, and we continue to look to find ways to remove the barriers people face in getting vaccinated and are still regularly seeing people come forward for their first dose.

“While uptake rates in Newcastle are slightly lower than in some of our neighbouring local authority areas, when compared with other UK core cities which have similar, younger populations, we can see the impact of the effort that has been put in place in Newcastle to get jabs into the arms of people most at risk.

"This is highlighted by Newcastle having one of the lowest excess mortality rates in the country marked by introduction of the vaccine programme.

“We know vaccines are effective at reducing transmission and minimising our chances of serious illness if we do catch Covid.

"As Covid continues to be widely circulating in our community, I would urge everyone to come forward whether they are eligible for a spring booster or a having the vaccine for the first time – getting fully vaccinated will protect them, others around them and our NHS.”

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