MORE than half of adults in Cornwall have had their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while nearly half a million adults in Devon have now had their first jab – just under half the adult population of the county.

The statistics, which provide the position as of March 7, show that in Cornwall, 237,396 people have had their first dose - 51.5% of the adult population, up from 46.8% as of the previous week.

There have been 507,900 vaccines delivered in Devon, with 486,522 of them being the first dose.

Across the whole of Devon, 48.6% of the adult population have received their first jab. This is up on the 44.5% as of February 28.

Exeter, Plymouth and Mid Devon are the only regions in the county where less than half of adults have had their first dose – in part due to the younger population of the two cities.

Of the total population of Devon, 21,378 people, 2.1% of adults, have also had their second dose, with 14,318 in Cornwall, 3.1% of adults.

Dr Paul Johnson, clinical chairman of the Devon CCG, told Thursday’s Team Devon Local Outbreak Engagement Board meeting that around 95% of the over 65s in the county had had their first dose, and around 25% of those under 65.

He added: “This is really positive and testament to the teams that have done the work, but also the population see the need for the vaccine. The vast majority of people – over 90% – are coming forward for the vaccine – and for the flu jab, the best we have ever managed is 70%.

“We are doing around 50,000 vaccinations a week but the supply will increase for the next ten weeks, and second doses are under way.”

And figures also show the number of vaccines that have been delivered in each local authority, as well as in the MSOA area.

In every single local authority in Devon and Cornwall, more than a third of all adults have had at least one dose, with all but three seeing more than half having had their first dose.

Of the adult population, 51.4% in Cornwall, 55.9% in East Devon, 38.6% in Exeter, 58.9% in the Isles of Scilly, 48.6% in Mid Devon, 52.7% in North Devon, 42.7% in Plymouth, 52.3% in South Hams, 53.9% in Teignbridge, 55.7% in Torbay, 52.9% in Torridge, and 57.4% in West Devon, have had one dose. These figures are as of March 7 and so will have risen in recent days.

But the Team Devon meeting heard that vaccine uptake was lower in the more deprived communities, and in Devon, early data modelling suggests people of Black and Asian ethnicity have lower take-up than White British people, in most groups ranging from approximately 63% to 76%.

Devon public health consultant Sarah Ogilvie said: “We are working to understand and address vaccine hesitancy among people from local BAME communities to ensure that everyone who is eligible can access the vaccination in a way which works for them when it is their turn in the national programme.

“We’ll be adapting and widening the support we can offer to meet the needs of local communities. We’re using the links we have to offer help but we also really encourage individuals or groups who would like some information or support to get in touch and we will work with our vaccine ambassadors to provide it.”by Daniel Clark, Local Democracy Reporter