According to data from NHS England, 32,248 residents in the borough had received at least one of the jabs by February 21 – around 35 per cent of the adult population.
The numbers show that not only have more than 92 per cent of the over 70s been vaccinated, but also 15,981 people under 70 – around one in five people aged18-69 – have also received one dose of either the Oxford AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech injection.
People will ultimately be given two doses of the vaccine, but studies have suggested that even one dose provides nearly 80 per cent effectiveness against the virus.
So far, the vaccination programme has been concentrating on those in the most vulnerable groups, including the elderly and people with existing health conditions.
The news comes as the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation [JCVI] has announced today [February 26] that people aged 40-49 will be prioritised next for the jab.
The Government has said it wants every adult in the UK to have been offered the vaccine by July.
Rates of coronavirus are plummeting across the country with Tunbridge Wells recording fewer than 50 cases last week.
According to Public Health England, in the seven days to February 21, just 48 people tested positive for coronavirus in the borough, putting the rate of infection at 40.4 per 100,000 people – which places Tunbridge Wells among the 20 local authority areas in England with lowest rates of infection.
Leader at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Alan McDermott, praised the efforts of NHS workers at volunteers. He said: “It’s fantastic news that the Government’s vaccination programme is going so well, with over 35 per cent of adults in our borough having received at least one jab. I would like to thank the NHS, the armed forces and the volunteers involved for all their efforts.”
