Hackney has some of the lowest Covid vaccination rates in London and the UK, according to latest NHS data.

Official data has revealed Hackney is in the bottom five local authorities in the country for people over the age of 16 who have had their first dose.

Tower Hamlets had the lowest percentage with 22.2 per cent followed by Hackney (24.6pc), Newham (24.9pc), Hammersmith and Fulham (25.7pc) and Islington (25.8pc).

The top local authority in the country was North Norfolk with 66.1pc.

Local London Assembly Member, Jennette Arnold OBE AM praised efforts behind the vaccine rollout so far, but warned Hackney could be “left behind” if factors such as vaccine supply and hesitancy were not addressed.

She said: “[This] isn’t about a race against other parts of the capital or the country, but a race against the virus”.

The latest NHS figures also show that City and Hackney Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has one of the lowest vaccination rates for over 60s in London.

Between December 8, 2020, and March 7, 2021, 71.1pc of over 60s in the area had been given their first dose.

At the top of the vaccine uptake table in the capital is Harrow with 90pc of over 60s in the borough having received their first dose. Eight other CCGs in London have uptake rates above 80pc.

Director of public health for Hackney and City, Dr Sandra Husbands, however, added that "it comes as no surprise" that areas like Hackney, "with high levels of deprivation, overcrowded housing and poor digital access have amongst the lowest vaccination uptake".

Hackney Gazette: Concerns raised over Covid-19 vaccine stockpilingConcerns raised over Covid-19 vaccine stockpiling (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
The director said: "As a council we have stepped up in Hackney and have been working with our diverse communities to understand the barriers and how we can best address them, so that all of our local residents feel confident in taking the vaccination when it is offered to them."

Some of the ways the council has done this includes working with local GPs, hosting community webinars and pop-up vaccination clinics.

They have also put local vaccination centres in the "heart of communities" ensuring communications about the vaccine are clear and available in community languages.

NHS data shows that 10 of the worst performing constituencies in the country are all in London.

So, Ms Arnold is calling for the NHS to provide more localised data to better inform the government's future allocation of funding to local authorities to tackle vaccine hesitancy.

Hackney Gazette: Dr Sandra Husbands, Director of Public Health, City and Hackney.Dr Sandra Husbands, Director of Public Health, City and Hackney. (Image: Hackney Council)