Around 17,000 over 60s or extremely vulnerable residents in Hackney are still unvaccinated, according to latest data.

More than 116,000 people have now been vaccinated in the borough, but Chris Lovitt, deputy director of Public Health, has expressed concerns.

He said: “Cases are rising again, and we are seeing the Delta variant spread more easily through unvaccinated populations.

"This is a real worry for me. We have 17,000 over 60s [in Hackney] and clinically extremely vulnerable people who are still not yet vaccinated.

"The data is clear. The majority of people now hospitalised with Covid-19 are unvaccinated. It is really important to get your vaccine to keep well.”

Almost 900 million people worldwide have safely received at least one dose of the vaccine, including over 40 million people in the UK.

The deputy director added: “The vaccine is your best protection from the virus, a virus we can now see causing illness even in younger people and in some people causing long term harm even a year later with long-Covid.

"The vaccine not only protects yourself, but also protects those around you by reducing the chance of transmission. Book your Covid-19 vaccination and help keep Hackney safe.”

The warning from Public Health comes as Hackney saw a 56 per cent increase in cases from the previous week.

Reports show that cases of the Delta variant, previously known as the Indian variant, are on the rise in the UK, with latest figures in the week to June 2 showing a total of 278 people with the Delta variant attended hospital emergency departments, and 94 people were admitted to hospital overnight. Most of those admitted had not been vaccinated.

People aged 25 and over can now book their vaccination on the NHS portal or by calling 119. New appointments on the portal are updated regularly.

Planned pop-up clinics are also taking place in Hackney, such as the Thursday clinics at St Leonard’s Hospital for those aged 40 and over who need their first dose of the vaccine, or people who are due their second dose of Astra Zeneca. Click here to learn more.