Almost three quarters receive autumn Covid-19 booster

Thursday, December 8 marked two years since Margaret Keenan became the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer jab - kickstarting a word-wide rollout of the historic vaccine.

Since then, about 257,800 people in Northumberland have been fully vaccinated – getting both the first and second injection – figures from the UK coronavirus dashboard show – meaning at least 86.8% of people have had two jabs.

A further 220,100 have also received a booster or third dose - with uptake for the third jab standing at 74.1% at the end of November.

Uptake among people aged 50 and over, shows 116,100 residents had received the autumn booster, meaning that at least 72.1% of those in the age group have had the additional dose – well above England's overall rate of 61.9%.

Nationally, 42 million people are fully vaccinated (75.2%) while 33.4 million have received a booster or third dose (59.8%).

Steve Russell, NHS director of vaccinations and screening, said that Covid-19, flu and other respiratory viruses are "still very much with us", and urged eligible people to get their autumn booster to "ensure maximum protection" throughout the festive period.

Health Minister Maria Caulfield said the roll out of the vaccine over the past two years has been a "phenomonal feat" and saved lives.

She added: "We can’t be complacent. It is crucial that all those eligible, book their appointments to receive the vaccine as soon as possible to keep immunity levels high."