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Nine in 10 Jewish over 70s have received at least one vaccine jab, ONS data shows

Board of Deputies says 'strong messaging from rabbinate and communal lay leadership' boosted confidence

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TOPSHOT - Nurse Practitioner Terri Welch administers a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to a patient at the Haxby and Wigginton Group Medical Practice in Haxby, northern England on December 22, 2020. - Europe is expected to start a massive vaccination campaign after Christmas following the United States and Britain, which have begun giving jabs with an approved Pfizer-BioNTech shot, one of several leading candidates. (Photo by Lindsey Parnaby / AFP) (Photo by LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images)

Close to nine in 10 Jewish people over the age of 70 in England have received at least one vaccine jab, according to official new data.

The Office for National Statistics published new analysis on Monday examining vaccine take-up among minority communities in England between 8 December and 11 March. 

Among the over 70, Jews had one of the highest vaccination rates at over 88 per-cent, trailing behind Christians (91.1 per-cent) and those with no religion (89.1). 

Those who identified as Muslim, meanwhile, had the lowest rate (72.3 per-cent), followed by Buddhists (78.1 per cent)

The study was partly based on census data and did not include any information about adults who identify as ethnically Jewish.

Dr Jonathan Boyd, executive director of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, said the findings were not surprising. 

“In general, Jews tend to be well-educated and health conscious so we would expect to see high rates of vaccine uptake. The data show that the challenges tend to lie in more socioeconomically disadvantaged communities,” he said.

Board of Deputies president Marie van der Zyl said the Jewish umbrella group was "very pleased" by the community's high take-up.

"We believe that the very strong messaging from both the rabbinate and communal lay leadership has boosted confidence. The vaccine is a life-saving intervention that will help us return our lives to something resembling normalcy. We urge everyone to take the vaccine when it is offered to them."

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