THURROCK Council is planning to invest hundreds of thousands of pounds in creating 'vaccine champions' to try and increase the number of people in the borough who sign up to get the covid jab.

Detail is sparse as yet about what the council is actually going to do – but it has a budget of £485,000.

The council says the scheme will 'help make more of the borough's residents get the protection the covid-19 vaccines offer' thanks to £485,000 of government funding awarded to the borough.

The backing comes as part of second wave £22.5 million national Community Vaccine Champions Scheme fund from the government, created to help encourage hard-to-reach communities get vaccinated. The second round of funding was announced yesterday (Thursday, 13 January).

The council's cabinet member for health Cllr Allen Mayes says: "The benefits of getting vaccinated are clear. You are eight times more likely to end up in hospital as a result of contracting coronavirus if you are unvaccinated but the booster vaccine is 88 per cent effective in preventing hospitalisation due to Omicron.

"While more than 115,000 people in Thurrock have had at least one dose of the vaccine there are still some pockets of the community that seem to be hesitant in seeking the excellent protection the vaccine offers.

"This funding will be used to find innovative ways to reach those hesitant residents and help them get access to the vaccine. This will involve close working with both the borough's fantastic voluntary sector and community groups through Thurrock CVS as well as local and national health services who will deliver the vaccines into our resident's arms.

"I would like to thank the government for their continued support in helping us to bring an end to this pandemic and for all the volunteers that have, and continue to, come forward to help."

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The council says more information will be issued about the scheme and how the funding is being used to help deliver vaccines in the heart of the borough's communities in the coming weeks.