The vast majority of staff at Norfolk’s three hospitals have been vaccinated, newly released data has revealed.
Top of the chart was the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH), where 98pc of staff have been jabbed.
The rate at King’s Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) was 94.4pc, closely followed by Gorleston’s James Paget University Hospital (JPUH) on 93pc.
The figures are significantly higher than vaccine uptake among the general population of the areas they serve.
Uptake for both the first and second doses of the vaccine in Norwich is 75pc, while in Great Yarmouth borough the figure is 80.5pc and in West Norfolk borough 84.8pc.
Following a vote in parliament last week, vaccinations for healthcare staff are due to become mandatory from April 1.
Every MP in Norfolk voted in favour of the measure, with the exception of Labour MP for Norwich South, Clive Lewis.
NHS figures on staff vaccination from December 16 show that 130,000 workers - almost 10% of the total workforce - are still unvaccinated.
30,000 of that number are in London alone.
The government’s impact assessment modelling of the policy has predicted that some 73,000 NHS staff will refuse to have the jab - along with 15,000 independent health sector staff and 38,000 social care staff working outside of care homes.
An NHS spokesperson, speaking on behalf of Norfolk’s three hospitals, said: “The majority of hospital staff have received their vaccination and we are supporting the remaining individuals to address their concerns and encourage them to get vaccinated.”
At a November meeting of the JPUH’s council of governors, chief executive Anna Hills said that unvaccinated staff resigning instead of having the jab was “a worry”.
She said: “We’re going through a piece of work at the moment to contact those individuals who haven’t had the vaccine, to find out why, because for some groups of people it will be because they’ve got genuine concerns.
“So young women, for example, some of them are concerned about the impact on their fertility.
“Well, there’s really good research now to demonstrate that that isn’t an issue, so there’ll be an opportunity to kind of dispel some of those myths that may have been putting people off.”
She added: “We need to support our staff to do the right thing.”
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