Funding boost in effort to vaccinate vulnerable communities

Community Vaccine Champions will be tapping into their local networks and encouraging people in their community to come forward and get vaccinated.

Councils with low vaccine uptake are being awarded a share of £22.5 million to get hard-to-reach communities vaccinated. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has said that 60 councils to benefit from Community Vaccine Champions scheme which will mobilise thousands of volunteers.

The funding will provide councils an opportunity to deliver bespoke projects in their region, help identify barriers to accessing accurate information and provide tailored support, such as phone calls for people without easy access to digital technology, helplines, and linking to GP surgeries.

According to NHS statistics, over 4.6 million people aged 18 or older remained unvaccinated in the 60 local authorities selected to take part in the Community Vaccine Champions programme.

Communities Minister Kemi Badenoch MP said: “In England more than 80 per cent of eligible adults over 18 have had a booster and for over 50s it is 90 per cent. This is a great take-up so far, but we need to do more as we know that the unvaccinated are up to eight times more likely to be hospitalised than those who are jabbed. By funding Community Vaccine Champions – an army of volunteers who are at the heart of their communities - we can reach those yet to be vaccinated and encourage them to protect themselves and the NHS.”