Only 22,442 Londoners received a first dose in the last week
(Picture: PA Wire)Health chiefs are preparing to use a “hyper local” approach in a bid to convince the one million unvaccinated adult Londoners to get jabbed.
Only 22,442 Londoners received a first dose in the last week and fewer than 80,000 doses were administered in total across the capital, latest NHS England figures revealed.
Vaccine hubs set up in sports halls and larger venues are closing, with the vaccine increasingly available in local pharmacies and GP practices. In addition, vaccine teams are knocking on doors in areas with low take-up.
Pippa Nightingale, chief nurse for north-west London, said the use of larger hubs in leisure centres had not attracted the hardest to reach, often because it still required them to make a long journey.
She said the NHS vaccine roll-out now had three strands: offering a booster jab to all over-50s and younger people who were medically compromised, the school vaccination programme and the “evergreen” offer of a jab to adults yet to be vaccinated.
She added: “What is really encouraging is that we are doing about 900 first vaccines a week. People are starting to come forward again. They can have their flu vaccine at the same time as their Covid vaccine.”
The number of Londoners testing positive continues to fall, with 2,494 cases yesterday — down more than 1,200 from the 3,707 cases reported on September 2 as most pupils started term.
Pressure on hospitals is also easing slightly — though this is being offset by the number attending A&E departments.
