There's a 'worrying drop' in under 30s getting a COVID jab warns former Cheshire health boss
In parts of Staffordshire and Cheshire around half of 18-29 year olds haven't had a first jab
The former Public Health Director across Cheshire and the North West has told us vaccination centres are 'worryingly quiet' with a drop in young people coming to get their jab.
The picture is mirrored in parts of Staffordshire; the latest statistics in Stoke-on-Trent show around 50% of 18-29 year olds have come forward to get their first COVID-19 vaccine, compared to around 80% of 40-49 year olds.
John Ashton came out of retirement to play his part in the pandemic and has been vaccinating people, he said: "Younger people are now being admitted to hospital because they have been really quite seriously ill.
"The idea that was circulating last year that this is only something that affects the elderly and people with particular vulnerabilities is not standing up now.
"The majority of the population are very keen to get the vaccine but the problem recently seems to be the idea that the pandemic is near the end and so there's no particular point in getting the vaccine, I think that's the problem at the moment.
"It (vaccination centre) can be busy at certain times of the day but it can really quite quiet at the moment and one of the things that seems to be quite common with the younger ones is fear of injections. When they're relaxed and they're not frightened actually they're surprised to realise they've had the vaccine."