Suffolk and North East Essex is continuing to soar in the national Covid-19 vaccine rollout – although Ipswich and Colchester are continuing to rank low locally.
The latest vaccination figures, which cover up to July 11, show the Suffolk and North East Essex region ranks 10th highest in England for the number of fully vaccinated people in the UK, with 68.8% of people having received both jabs.
The region is doing particularly strong in terms of vaccinating young people, with 23.1% of people aged between 18 and 29 now being fully vaccinated making it the fifth highest nationwide. That figure is 0.2% higher than the neighbouring Norfolk and Waveney region.
Two Suffolk neighbourhoods (known as middle middle layer super output areas or MSOAs) have now fully vaccinated more than 80% of their local population, with Felixstowe East ranking highest in the region at 80.6%
However, rates are continuing to be lower in the more urban local authorities of Ipswich and Colchester, with 56.6% of adults being fully jabbed in Ipswich and 56.9% in Colchester. Both are higher than Norwich (49.4%).
The Westgate and Ipswich Central areas of Suffolk's county town have the lowest full vaccination rates in the borough at 39.1% and 42.5% respectively. Comparatively, the lowest Suffolk MSOA outside of Ipswich, Needham Market South and Great Blakenham, has a rate of 59.4%.
In Colchester, Greenstead ranks lowest with 31.2% of adults being fully jabbed, followed by Wivenhoe and University at 37.1%
Those figures are however much higher than districts of many major cities across England, with one district in Sheffield having yet to fully vaccinate 10% of adults.
The number of people having received their first jab in Ipswich is continuing to rise, with 77.1% of people in Broke Hall aged between 18 and 29 having received their first dose as of July 11. There are similarly high figures in Rushmere (72%) and Castle Hill (70.9%).
The majority of MSOAs in Suffolk are still recording higher figures than those however, with Trimley and Kirton (79%) and Kesgrave East and Martlesham (78.6%) leading the way locally.
Overall, Ipswich has fully vaccinated 23.5% of adults between 18 and 25, higher than both Babergh (22.7%), West Suffolk (19.8%) and than other major urban area Colchester at 16.2%.
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