​Music festival organised to vaccinate attendees cost over £500 per jab

An event that took place last summer in the hopes of encouraging more people from Tower Hamlets to get vaccinated cost over £500 per person, the BBC reports.

Taking place at east London’s Langdon Park last summer, the four-day event cost £237,000 to host, and only saw 435 people jabbed against COVID.

The summer festival was set up by the Tower Hamlets Council where vaccine rates were particularly low last year. The initiative, according to a council spokesperson, was thought to be an "innovative way” to get people jabbed.

From July 30 - August 2, the summer festival hosted stages with live performances from musicians, as well as food trucks and bars encouraging people to stay and enjoy the event.

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“We know events like this appeal, particularly to younger groups, so come along, protect yourself and have some fun,” said Tower Hamlets Mayor John Biggs ahead of the event.

The turnout, however, cost the council a pretty penny. With just over 400 attendees, each jab cost the council a total of £535, according to a report by Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

With plenty of space to roam and enjoy the music, the barely packed out park looked scarce as performers took to the stage one by one across the four-day event.

Throughout the pandemic, Tower Hamlets has seen one of the lowest COVID vaccine rates in comparison to other London boroughs.

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Currently, just 55.7% of people in the borough have all three vaccines, compared to the national average of 67.6%.

"The vaccine event at Langdon Park, funded by Covid-19 grants from central government, was set up to help vaccinate young residents, where data was showing a low uptake in this group,” said a Tower Hamlets council representative.

"Councils across the country have been actively encouraged to use funding to deliver vaccines in new and innovative ways, which is important in efforts to address vaccine hesitancy and low uptake in particular groups."

[Via BBC]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Editorial Assistant, follow her on Twitter