COVID-19: Major cities falling well behind in UK’s bid to vaccinate its way out of lockdown

The 15 areas of England to have vaccinated the lowest proportion of adults against COVID-19 are all in London.

In some boroughs, including Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Newham, just one in five adults have received a single dose of a vaccine, according to NHS England data up to 25 February.

Other cities including Nottingham and Manchester also have low vaccination rates.

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Lower vaccine uptake among ethnic minorities could be one of the main factors.

Sky News analysis has found areas with a higher percentage of ethnic minorities are also among those to have given a smaller proportion of over-70s their first jab.

But deprivation is also key.

The Sky News data team identified significant differences in over-70s vaccination rates between the most and least deprived parts of local authorities.

Although, the picture in London may be complicated by the number of non-permanent residents in affluent boroughs.

A similar deprivation trend was found in Birmingham.

So, while it’s clear that age is a major factor driving the different pace of vaccination locally, it isn’t the only one.

Ethnicity and deprivation appear to be key in determining uptake and could mean some parts of England have less protection from COVID-19 than others.

The total number of first doses hit 18,691,835 on Thursday – a rise of 448,962.

And 700,718 people have had their second jab – up by 31,613, which was a record increase.

(c) Sky News 2021: COVID-19: Major cities falling well behind in UK’s bid to vaccinate its way out of lockdown