COVID: Unvaccinated hot spots in London | Evening Standard

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The London boroughs with the most adults who have not yet received the Covid vaccine have been revealed.

Newham has more than 130,000 residents aged 18 or older who have not received their first vaccination, followed by Brent 125,000, Lambeth 117,000 and Ealing 111,000.

The numbers, from an evening analysis of NHS data, come amid growing concern that the vast majority of Covid patients in intensive care are not immune.

Renewed efforts are underway to target three main groups – pregnant women, people at clinical risk, and children aged 12-15, who are thought to spread the virus between generations.

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Some council leaders fear that the focus on the booster vaccines – which have proven hugely popular among the vaccinated population, with 1.5 million given in London so far – has distracted from “evergreen” efforts to encourage first and second vaccinations.

But Pippa Nightingale, chief nurse at the NHS in northwest London, told the magazine: “Every vaccine we give now is just as important, whether it’s a booster or first. If everyone were [fully] Vaccination, we will stop any death or ITU [intensive care] Accept it now.”

The NHS and councils are using local pharmacies, vaccine buses, community ‘champions’ and direct phone calls to encourage ‘vaccine-hell’ to come forward. General practitioners host online question-and-answer sessions.

There is some evidence that unvaccinated parents are progressing after agreeing to have their children vaccinated at school.

About 40,000 first strokes are given per week in the capital but more than half are given to children aged 12 to 15 years.

Pregnant women represent one of the largest unvaccinated groups, prompting efforts to reassure them that the vaccine is safe for them and their babies.

The number of pregnant women in intensive care has doubled since the second and third waves of the pandemic. Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, they made up 15 per cent of all Covid patients in critical care between May and July, with new mothers accounting for another 13 per cent. Three women and 11 pregnant women died recently.

Overall, 73 percent of patients admitted to intensive care were unimmunized — rising to more than 90 percent in age groups 18-29 and 30-39 — according to this week’s report by the National Center for Intensive Care Audit and Research (ICNARC).

Standard analysis found that Westminster had the highest rate of unvaccinated adults (40 percent of those over 18 years of age), followed by Kensington and Chelsea (39 percent), Hammersmith and Fulham (38 percent) and Camden (37 percent).

Bromley had the lowest rate (17 percent) followed by Bexley and Sutton (both 18 percent).

Younger Londoners accounted for most of the unprotected population. By November 14, more than 436,000 people aged 30-34 and 400,000 in the 18-24 age group had not received a first dose. There were 384,000 unvaccinated in the 25-29 age group.

Nightingale said the number of unvaccinated people was “a real concern.”

“Although we have delivered 3.5 million vaccinations in northwest London, we are still receiving six per cent of those over the age of 40 who are not yet vaccinated,” she said. “Six percent doesn’t seem like a lot but it’s 138,000 people.”

She added: “Only 54 per cent of pregnant women living in northwest London have had any vaccinations.” Hesitating about vaccinations is even more complicated during pregnancy because people think not only of themselves, but of their unborn child.

“What we now know from the evidence is how safe it is to present it [the vaccine] In the period of pregnancy, and how important this is, to prevent the mother from becoming unwell, to prevent death during pregnancy and also to prevent the child from premature birth and the possibility of his death as well.”

She said efforts are intensifying to vaccinate children and adolescents. “These younger age groups spread it out to family members,” she said. “It would only take a 12-year-old to go and visit their grandmother for the weekend and there’s a transition made.”

Westminster Council believes its vaccination rate may be higher than official figures suggest due to the “pressure” of residents moving in and out of the town.

Anna Raleigh, director of public health for Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, said the current focus is on the advocacy campaign.

She added: “However, there is work that we have to do, particularly to make sure that our most disadvantaged populations can get vaccinated.

“There is a lot of work going on within communities, and in areas where we are seeing lower levels of vaccination along with higher levels [infection] rates.”

In Hackney, where the unvaccinated population exceeds 100,000 when the 16-17 age group is included, the council is trying to improve access to vaccines and provide “clear and reliable information”, including to the large Orthodox Jewish community.

Hackney Mayor Phil Glanville told the magazine: “The number of unvaccinated residents of Hackney is deeply concerning and we must not lose sight of the fact that 100,000 people in the town, more than a third of our entire population, did not get their first dose of the vaccine.

“Obviously, if you are not vaccinated, you are more likely to get seriously ill or die from Covid-19 and this is clearly reflected in our local hospital admission.”

Will Hoxter, director of the NHS London immunization programme, said: “With booster uptake and encouraging signs across the city as more people receive their first injection, I would strongly urge anyone who is eligible to get their first, second or booster vaccine that is yet to come. Forward to book online or head to a local reception centre, and join the many millions of Londoners who have already been vaccinated against Covid.

“With more than 400 vaccination sites across London, from pharmacists and walking centers to places of worship, there are plenty of opportunities to get information, discuss concerns and get protection especially in time to see loved ones at Christmas.”

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