LESS than five per cent of Stockton care home staff have declined Covid vaccines for non-medical reasons, according to council figures. 

Data presented to councillors last week showed 91 of more than 2,000 care home staff in the borough turned down the vaccine without medical grounds. 

Efforts to boost take up were launched earlier this year after figures revealed more than one in ten staff had turned down the offer of a jab. 

But chiefs say the latest figures paint a more positive picture.

A presentation on care homes seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service showed only 21 of more than 1,300 care home residents across Stockton had declined a vaccine for non-medical reasons. 

Officials said the collective numbers of those turning down jabs were “very low” in individual homes – with the 112 refusing spread out across the borough. 

Eight care homes have now vaccinated 100 per cent of staff and residents in Stockton. 

Council leader Cllr Bob Cook said: “The vaccine roll-out is led nationally by the Government and NHS and we support it by encouraging vaccination take-up.

“We’ve put on numerous forums for care providers to discuss the vaccines, including one at which an invited GP speaker attended to dispel myths, and ensured national messages about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine have been shared with providers so they can in turn share them with their staff.

“These latest figures about overall take-up among care home staff are positive.”

Government figures showed almost 82 per cent of staff working in older adult care homes in England had received their first vaccination as of May 6. 

The social care working group of SAGE has advised uptake rates of 80 per cent in staff and 90 per cent in residents in care homes are needed to provide a “minimum level of protection” against further outbreaks.

A Government consultation on whether vaccines should be compulsory for care home staff closed last week. 

Sessions to tackle vaccine hesitancy and bust myths about the jabs have been held with care staff across Teesside this year. 

Stockton Council’s “well-led” programme is also continuing in a bid to keep close ties with care homes across the borough. 

Most of the borough’s care homes are privately owned and run by firms.

But there has been some concern about the number of deaths in homes and the role the council has played in preventing infections. 

Figures up to April 22 showed a higher proportion of staff and residents in Stockton had received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine than at a regional and national level. 

A total of 97.1 per cent of residents and 86.4 per cent of staff in the borough had received at least one jab compared with 95.4 per cent of residents and 85.6 per cent of staff across the North-East.