Nearly half a million adults in Devon have now had their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine – just under half the adult population of the county.

The statistics, which provide the position as of March 7, show that there have been 507, 900 vaccines delivered in Devon, with 486,522 of them being the first dose.

Of the total population of Devon, 21,378 people - 2.1 per cent of adults - have also had their second dose.

Dr Paul Johnson, clinical chairman of the Devon CCG, told Thursday’s Team Devon Local Outbreak Engagement Board meeting that around 95 per cent of the over 65s had in the county had their first dose, and around 25 per cent of those under 65.

He added: “This is really positive and testament to the teams that have done the work, but the also the population see the need for the vaccine. The vast majority of people – over 90 per cent – are coming forward for the vaccine – and for flu jab – the best we have ever managed is 70 per cent.

“We are doing around 50,000 vaccinations a week but the supply will increase for the next ten weeks, and second doses are under way.”

And figures also show the number of vaccines that have been delivered in each local authority, as well as in the MSOA area.

In every single local authority in Devon and Cornwall, more than a third of all adults have had at least one dose, with all but three seeing more than half having had their first dose.

Of the adult population, 55.9 per cent in East Devon had received the first dose according to figures as of March 7.

But the Team Devon meeting heard that vaccine uptake was lower in the more deprived communities, and in Devon, early data modelling suggests people of Black and Asian ethnicity have lower take-up than White British people, in most groups ranging from approximately 63 per cent to 76 per cent.

Devon public health consultant Sarah Ogilvie said: “We are working to understand and address vaccine hesitancy among people from local BAME communities to ensure that everyone who is eligible can access the vaccination in a way which works for them when it is their turn in the national programme.”