More than 72,000 people in Jersey have had first Covid jab

The Time is Running Out campaign had seen thousands of people book vaccination appointments, jab bosses said

More than 72,000 people in Jersey have had their first dose of coronavirus vaccine, the government has said.

Also, nearly 58,000 Covid-19 certifications for people with both doses had been sent out, equalling about "97% of all fully-vaccinated islanders", it added.

The figures come as the government said almost 5,000 people had booked their first jabs since the island's Time is Running Out campaign was launched at the end of June.

'Infection rates increase'

Jersey's resident population was estimated as 107,800 at the end of 2019.

The States said 72,703 people had had at least one dose, equating to about 73% of the population.

The Time is Running Out campaign was aimed to encourage people aged 18 and over who had not yet had their first vaccine dose to book an appointment "so that they could be guaranteed full vaccination by mid-August", bosses said.

Vaccination programme head Becky Sherrington said the operation was seeing "our uptake among eligible islanders continues to grow week-on-week".

She added that anyone who had had their first jab would "receive an automatic invitation for their second dose and will be fully vaccinated by the middle of August".

She said: "They can enjoy the summer knowing they have afforded themselves good protection."

Ms Sherrington also said 57,631 Covid status certification letters had been issued, which was "approximately 97% of all fully-vaccinated islanders".

She was still encouraging people to ask their friends and relatives to book vaccination appointments.

She said: "As we know, infection rates have increased within the younger age groups, so it is more important than ever for those islanders to get vaccinated."