More coronavirus vaccine jabs have been delivered to residents in Hertfordshire and West Essex than anywhere else in East of England or London.

The NHS CCG which oversees the area has so far managed to deliver (as of January 21) 50,815 first doses to people over 80 and 47,263 first doses to under 80s.

Over 80s have received 13,995 second doses while 2,871 have been delivered to under 80s.

The total cumulative doses to date stands at 115,304.

The next highest totals in East of England and London are Mid and South Essex at 80,211 and South West London Health and Care Partnership at 95,583.

ONS figures suggest older people are more likely to take the vaccine.

Around eight in 10 people aged 16-29 (81 per cent) said they would be very likely or fairly likely to take up an offered vaccine, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found.

This rose to 98 per cent of adults aged 70 and over.

Overall, around nine in 10 (89 per cent) respondents said they would be very likely or fairly likely to have the vaccine if offered, and around one in 20 (5 per cent) very or fairly unlikely.

The figures also show that one in 100 people said they had declined a jab, which would be the equivalent of around half a million adults.

The ONS analysed responses from 4,492 people in Britain between January 13 and 17 as part of its Opinions and Lifestyle Survey to understand the impact of Covid-19 on society.

The survey did not include adults living in care homes or other establishments, so does not address vaccinations in these settings.

The ONS said it will examine attitudes to vaccination among different groups of the population in more detail next week.

Among adults who said they were unlikely to take the jab, the most common reason was being worried about potential long-term effects on their health (43 per cent).

A similar proportion (42 per cent) were worried about potential side effects, and 40 per cent said they wanted to wait to see how well the vaccine works.

Around a quarter (26 per cent) said they do not think it will be safe.

So far, around 4.9 million people have received at least one vaccine dose.

Before approval, the vaccines underwent a rigorous testing process to pass standards of safety, quality and effectiveness set by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Reports of serious side effects, such as allergic reactions, have been very rare, and no long-term complications have been reported, the NHS says.

The ONS figures suggest there has been a slight gradual increase in positive attitudes towards getting vaccinated.

In early December, 78 per cent of adults said they would be likely or fairly likely to take up an offered jab.

With lockdowns underway, the proportion of adults who said they only left home for work, exercise, essential shopping or medical needs in the past seven days rose to 65 per cent – the highest proportion since May 2020.

The proportion of adults working from home – 45 per cent – is also the highest it has been since June.

More people now think it will take more than a year for life to return to normal – 25 per cent compared to 22 per cent who think this could happen within six months.

Measures of happiness are now the lowest they have been since the survey began last March, the ONS added.