NEARLY two-thirds of people in the Braintree have now received their first dose of a Covid jab, figures reveal.

The latest available data from the NHS, which only takes into consideration jabs given out up until April 4, shows 78,231 people have had a vaccine.

That equates to 63 per cent of those aged 16 and over.

Of those vaccinated, 59,804 were aged 50 or over – 96 per cent of the age group.

It means 18,427 people aged between 16 and 49 have received a first dose of the vaccine.

It comes as non-essential shops, gyms and hairdressers prepare to reopen on Monday (April 12) as part of the next phase of lockdown lifting.

Earlier this week the Boris Johnson said he would be visiting a pub on April 12 as he confirmed the next stage of lockdown easing can go ahead.

Restaurants and pubs will also be allowed to reopen but only to serve food and drink outside.

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Across England, 26.6 million people had received their first dose of a vaccine by April 4, covering 58% of the population aged 16 and over.

That includes 19.8 million people aged 50 and over – 94% of the age group.

The figures also show that 4.3 million people have had a second dose of the jab.