Newcastle coronavirus vaccination rate has more than halved

Long queues like this one outside the Centre for Life in January are no longer common in Newcastle

The number of coronavirus vaccinations being administered in Newcastle has more than halved, a health chief said.

The average number of first and second doses being administered each day is currently below 1,000 having stood at almost 2,350 a month ago.

Just under half of people aged 18 to 39 in the city are yet to have their first dose, while roughly 29% of its adult population have not had a jab at all.

The fall comes despite the introduction of vaccine buses and pop-up sites.

Mark Adams, chief officer of the Newcastle Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group,  said the "dramatic drop-off" was "a concern to us all".

He told the Newcastle City Futures Board on Thursday there were now three vaccine buses moving around the city each day.

'Changed our strategy'

He added vaccine clinics would be offered at different times and locations to make it easier for people to access, with one of the buses stationed outside bars in Jesmond's Osborne Road on Friday evening.

Teams will also go directly into workplaces, including the Nestle factory in Fawdon, and a service is being set up to provide jabs for people who are housebound, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Children's summer activities and other large events will also be targeted for pop-up hubs, while night-time jabs could be offered at three GP practices with a combined 20,000 patients aged 15 to 29.

Mr Adams told the board of city leaders there had been "ups and downs" in vaccination rates but he said supply and the resources to deliver jabs to people were no longer contributing factors.

"It is about how we get to members of the population who have not been vaccinated yet.

"We have changed our strategy and are going out to seek people where they live, work and socialise."

Newcastle City Council leader Nick Forbes said getting more people vaccinated needed to be the authority's "number one priority".