ALMOST two-thirds of over 50s in Barnsley have received the autumn Covid booster - almost two years after the first jab was administered in the town.
Since Wombwell man Herbert Barker made history by having the first jab in Barnsley on December 15, 2020, thousands have had their vaccine.
Around 181,100 people are currently fully vaccinated against the virus - having receiving their first and second injection.
This means that as of November 30, at least 80.9 per cent of people aged 12 and over in the area have had the first two jabs, based on the number of people on the National Immunisation Management Service.
A further 144,200 have received a booster or third dose, with uptake for the third jab standing at 64.4 per cent at the end of November.
Further data, which details uptake among people aged 50 and over, shows 65,200 Barnsley residents had received the autumn booster by November 30.
It means at least 62.4 per cent of over 50s have had the additional dose just above England’s overall rate of 61.9 per cent.
Steve Russell, NHS director of vaccinations and screening, said that Covid-19, flu and other respiratory viruses are ‘still very much with us’, and urged eligible people to get their autumn booster to ‘ensure maximum protection’ throughout the festive period.
He added: “It has been two years since the NHS in England delivered the world’s first Covid jab outside of clinical trials, and thanks to NHS staff and volunteers, more than 143 million doses have been administered across the country providing life-saving protection and allowing us to get back to a pre-pandemic way of life.”
Health Minister Maria Caulfield added: “The power of the Covid vaccine is undeniable - since the UK was the first country to administer a jab outside of a clinical trial, countless lives have been saved across the world thanks to the incredible work of researchers, scientists, doctors, nurses and volunteers.”
