Construction, building and transport workers least likely to have booster jab

Construction, building and transport workers are among those least likely to have received a booster or third dose of Covid-19 vaccine, figures suggest.

An estimated 39.8% of employees in skilled construction and building trades in England have had an extra dose, along with 42.6% of plant and machine operatives and 43.9% of transport and mobile machine drivers and operatives.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures, published on Friday, suggest that people in what are classed as “elementary trades and related occupations” – such as packers, bottlers, industrial cleaning or farm and forestry workers – have the lowest take-up at 37.0%.

This is followed by skilled construction and building trades at 39.8%, the ONS said.

These occupations also had the highest proportion of people that had not received a first jab, at 14.5% and 12.0% respectively, the ONS added.

Occupations with the highest take-up were health professionals at 75.3%, health and social care associate professionals at 58.7%, and those working in secretarial and related jobs at 58.4%.

The figures are based on vaccinations delivered up to December 12 for adults in England aged 40 to 64, before Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the new target of offering boosters to all adults who want one by the end of the month.

This means that the figures may reflect the order in which people became eligible for a booster or third dose of vaccine, with jabs initially prioritised for older and vulnerable people before being extended to younger age groups.

Around a third of sports players in England (34.1%) are estimated to have received a booster or third dose of Covid-19 vaccine as of December 12, according to the ONS figures.

Other specific occupations with low take-up so far of extra doses include plasterers (33.3%), waiters and waitresses (33.4%), chefs (35.0%), bar staff (36.6%), fork-lift truck drivers (37.6%) and vehicle technicians and mechanics (38.2%).

A separate release by the ONS suggests that the lowest third dose and booster take up in England was among people aged 50 and over in the Pakistani (42.2%), Black Caribbean (44.4%) and Black African (45.4%) groups.

More than a quarter (25.2%) of people of Black Caribbean ethnicity are estimated to not have received a first Covid vaccine dose up to December 12 – the highest proportion of all ethnic groups.

Muslims were the least likely religious group to have received a booster or third dose (46.3%).

Take-up was lower among people living in more deprived areas, those who have never worked or are long-term unemployed, those without qualifications and those who do not own their own home, compared to more-advantaged groups.

It was higher among non-disabled people, compared to those who said their day-to-day activities are limited “a little” or “a lot”.