JERSEY has reported a significantly lower take-up of the spring Covid-19 booster jab than England, new statistics have revealed.
“Vaccine fatigue” has been cited by the Island’s Public Health team as a key reason behind the dwindling figures, which come as GP surgeries report a surge in Covid cases – although serious illness is rare.
Final data from the most recent vaccination campaign, which ended in both England and Jersey at the end of June, show that 36% of eligible Islanders had the jab – well below the corresponding figure for NHS England, which has been estimated at over 60%.
A Covid report for Jersey released by Public Health in early July showed that just over a third of over-75s opted to be vaccinated, with around two-thirds of care home residents getting the jab. Among the final group of eligible Islanders, those with suppressed immunity as a result of health conditions, the figure was 24%.
Public Health director Peter Bradley said: “We recognise that the uptake of the spring booster has been lower than what we expected compared with other jurisdictions – we know that Islanders no longer perceive Covid to be a risk four years on and that there is a lot of vaccine fatigue.
“However, it’s still important that those who are vulnerable take up the boosters as and when they are offered, to ensure they are protected against the severity of the virus.”
Prof Bradley said the campaign had successfully maintained coverage of residents in care homes, thereby protecting the most vulnerable.
He added: “We are planning to review our recent coverage so that we are prepared for the autumn and winter.”
NHS England estimated around seven million people in England were eligible for the spring booster, and that 4.29 million spring booster vaccinations had been administered, equating to a 61.3% take-up.
National media reports have indicated that the surge in cases seen in the UK has continued.
Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, told Sky News that it was difficult to track Covid waves, assess the severity of different variants, and know how effective vaccines were because surveillance was much less intensive than previously.
Despite that, there was a “widespread impression” of a summer wave, potentially heightened by people mixing to watch the Euro 2024 football tournament, he added.
Hospital admissions with Covid in the UK have remained high for several weeks, data from the UK Health Security Agency shows.
In the week to 14 July, people admitted to hospital testing positive for Covid increased slightly to 4.35 per 100,000, compared with 3.72 per 100,000 the week before.
Covid vaccination stats
Three groups of Islanders were eligible for spring boosters:
– Those aged 75 or above: total eligible 9,360, total jabs given 3,316 (35%)
– Care home residents: 1,016 people, 695 jabs (68%)
– Immunosuppressed individuals: 2,233 people, 530 jabs (24%)
Source: Public Health Jersey Priority Groups Report
