London vaccine race: Mass events send new boroughs to the front
Haringey has shot to the front of the vaccine race after a mass vaccination event took place at Tottenham Hotspur stadium at the weekend.
Almost 4,200 Pfizer vaccinations were received at the stadium on Sunday, according to the latest NHS vaccine data.
Haringey, the borough that hosted the stadium event, administered 2,445 first doses of the vaccine to its residents on Sunday – the most out of any London borough.
The data suggests that many North London residents flocked to the event, as neighbouring boroughs Islington, Hackney and Camden were all close behind in terms of the number of adult residents who received a first dose of the vaccine.
1,471 Islington residents received their first jab on Sunday, closely followed by Hackney with 1,450 and Camden with 1,446 first doses.
The newest data counts the number of first doses administered on Sunday.
In terms of the proportion of residents who have received their first dose, Richmond is in the lead with 85 per cent. 74 per cent of Richmond’s population is over 30 years old, according to the latest census data, which may account for its higher take-up rate.
The ‘Super Sunday’ event in Tottenham was aimed at encouraging young people to come forward for their first vaccine.
This coming weekend, a similar mass vaccination clinic will administer Pfizer vaccine doses at Arsenal’s Emirates stadium, in a four day event that health officials hope will achieve similar success.
Speaking at the Downing Street press conference, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said that a “concerted community effort” had reduced vaccine hesitancy throughout the country, particularly among ethnic minorities.
Government and health officials will now “hone in” on areas where the vaccine take up has been lower – particularly in the capital, the minister said.
Zahawi announced that a dedicated London summit will take place on Friday, aiming to scrutinise why the take-up of first vaccine doses in London “is slightly behind compared to others in the UK”.
“The London team is doing an incredible job and I can confirm today we’re supporting it with a London summit that will take place on Friday that will bring together senior officials, the NHS in London, the mayor of London, clinical experts and community leaders across the capital,” he said.
“To see what has worked, learn for it, scale it and see how we really do boost the uptake in the crucial few weeks in the lead up to 19 July,” Zahawi said.
43m first doses of the vaccine have been administered across the country – 83 per cent of the adult population. Over 31m people have now secured “the fullest possible protection” through a second jab, the health department said on Wednesday.