According to NHS data, 66,520 third doses of the vaccine were given out in the Borough up to January 9, meaning that around one quarter of the 91,000 adults in Tunbridge Wells (27.5 per cent) had not yet received the booster.
The figures come as the number of new infections fell by around 230 cases last week, down to 1,324 in the seven days to January 10 from 1,554 in the previous week.
This translated into infection rates of 1,113.2 per 100,000 people – used to compare different regions in the country – falling from 1,306.6 per 100,000 inhabitants the week before.
Despite the declining rates, this was still above the average infection rate for England as a whole, which now sits at 1,272.4 people per 100,000 as the Omicron wave continues its surge across the UK.
Despite higher levels of infection in Tunbridge Wells, the booster programme has kept hospital admissions well below the peak of January 2021.
In the week to January 6 this year, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust [MTW] saw a maximum of 68 Covid-19 patients for any single day at both its hospitals in Pembury and Maidstone.
One patient was on a mechanical ventilator at MTW down from the previous week’s peak of five patients.
During the pandemic’s peak on January 4 last year, MTW was struggling to cope with 334 beds occupied by Covid patients at both its hospitals.
The numbers of patients on a mechanical ventilator also reached 24 on four separate days over that month.
Despite the lack of hospital admissions, local health officials have urged people not to be complacent, citing figures that showed the Tunbridge Wells booster rate was lower than that of the broader Kent region.
Over 82 per cent of the eligible population in Kent and Medway (1,010,411 people) have had a booster vaccination, according to the NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CGC).
“I would encourage residents to come forward and get vaccinated as soon as they can. Getting vaccinated is the best thing you can do to protect yourself, and your family, from Coronavirus,” said James Williams, Medway Council’s Director of Public Health.
“It’s also vital that residents continue to follow the latest national guidance to protect themselves and the wider community. I would urge everyone to keep taking symptom-free tests, particularly when they may encounter situations of high risks during the day.”
