MORE than half of adults in two parts of Colchester have received their first dose of a Covid vaccine, new figures show.

Across the borough more than a third of residents have had a jab, according to the official NHS data.

A total of 60,112 people in the borough had received a jab by February 28 - equating to 38 per cent of those aged 16 and over, according to the latest population estimates from the Office for National Statistics.

Of those who have been vaccinated, 32,560 were aged 65 or over, equal to 97 per cent of this age group.

This means 27,552 people between 16 and 64 have also received a jab.

The new data also reveals variation in coverage between different areas across Colchester.

The two areas with the highest coverage are West Mersea, where 54.4 per cent of over 16s have had a jab, and Prettygate and Westlands, where 51.4 per cent of adults have had a vaccine.

Lexden was third highest with 47.9 per cent of adults having had a jab.

The area with the lowest coverage was Greenstead, where just 20.5 per cent of adults have had a vaccine.

Ward councillor Julie Young (Lab) said the figure was concerning.

She said: “Although we have a lot of young people in Greenstead we have high numbers of elderly residents too.

“We also have high levels of people with long-term health conditions who should be high priority.

“I will raise it with the Clinical Commissioning Group to see if there is any explanation for the low figure.”

She added: “I would urge people in Greenstead to go out and get their vaccine when they are invited to do so.

“People should be taking advantage of the offer as it will help keep them and their loved ones safe.”

The two other areas with the lowest figures were New Town and Hythe, with 24.8 per cent, and Wivenhoe and University, with 27.5 per cent.

Both also have large student populations.

Here are the numbers for areas across Colchester:

Across England, 17.2 million people had received their first dose of a vaccine by February 28, covering 38 per cent of the population aged 16 and over.

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This includes 9.7 million people aged 65 and over – 94 per cent of the age group.

This week nearly two million people aged 60 to 63 were sent letters inviting them to book a coronavirus jab.

It follows the NHS writing to almost 450,000 people aged 64 last week over getting a first dose, as well as 600,000 at-risk individuals who have recently been asked to shield.

The Government has pledged to offer vaccinations to everyone aged over 50 by the end of April.