NEARLY 95 per cent of over 70s registered to Blackburn and Darwen GP's have been vaccinated; new data has revealed.

Data released by the NHS shows that in Blackburn with Darwen CCG, 14,425 or 94.7 per cent of over 70's have had their first jab.

In East Lancashire CCG group, 50,163 or 94.1 percent of over 70's have had their first dose of the vaccine.

Leading the Pennine Lancashire Vaccination Programme, Kathryn Lord said: “We are proud that we have vaccinated 94 per cent of our most vulnerable residents, many of whom have been shielding throughout the Pandemic. This is their first step back to normality and being able to spend time with their family and friends.

“Compared with other areas around the country, Pennine and the rest of Lancashire are performing exceptionally high in the vaccination programme.

"It can be misleading to compare different areas as their population sizes differ – Pennine Lancashire has 566,000 people whilst Chorley and South Ribble have 399,000 – so we have had to vaccinated 166,000 more people, many of whom are in rural areas which makes it logistically more challenging.

"We also have a large BAME community and yet, we know people from all backgrounds are coming forward to be vaccinated when they receive their letter and that is fantastic news.

“It is also testament to the hard work and dedication of all our staff, our partners and our patients for coming together in what has been the biggest peacetime operation this country has ever seen.

"This is a marathon, not a sprint and we urge people to come forward when they receive their invite.”

On average in Lancashire, there has been a 96.5 per cent uptake for the vaccine in over 70s.

The figures are based on provisional data from NHS England for vaccinations up to February 14.

Full list of Lancashire CCG's

NHS Blackburn with Darwen CCG 14,425 94.7%

NHS Blackpool CCG 19,940 94.5%

NHS Chorley and South Ribble CCG 24,976 98.5%

NHS East Lancashire CCG 50,163 94.1%

NHS Fylde and Wyre CCG 39,001 96.7%

NHS Greater Preston CCG 25,016 97.2%

NHS Morecambe Bay CCG 55,180 96.3%

NHS West Lancashire CCG 18,213 97.1%

The list reads, from left to right: name of CCG; number of people aged 70 and over resident in the CCG who have received their first dose; estimated percentage of people aged 70 and over resident in the CCG who have received their first dose.