Nearly 300,000 people in Devon – more than a quarter of the population – have had their first Covid-19 vaccine, latest NHS England figures show.

The statistics, which provide the position as of February 7, show that there have been 284,342 vaccinations in the county, with 271,603 of them being the first dose.

Just under 70,000 vaccinations were carried out in that seven day period.

The figures for Devon, which will have risen in the most recent days, are by far the highest number of vaccinations for any of the regions within the South West – double that of Cornwall.

Dr Paul Johnson, clinical chair of the Devon CCG, told Thursday's morning Team Devon Local Outbreak Engagement Board meeting that close to 300,000 first doses in Devon had now been issued.

He said that all but eight care homes where Covid-19 outbreak had been in progress had now been vaccinated, and that they were ready to start on cohort 5 – the over 65s next week.

Dr Johnson said: "Given the high proportion of older people in the county, it is testament to good work to keep up with other areas who don't have so many old people."

He showed figures that prior to the start of the vaccine rollout from a survey that they carried out that suggested that 74 per cent of the population were happy to take the vaccine, 19 per cent were hesitant, two per cent were resistant, while less than two per cent were going to reject the vaccine.

He said: "It looks like we will get at least 90 per cent of the population having the vaccine, so a significant number who were hesitant have been persuaded."

There are now five methods by which the vaccine is being rolled out across Devon.

All four of the county's main hospitals – in Plymouth, Exeter, Torquay and Barnstaple – are giving the vaccination to priority groups in line with national guidance, while GP practices are working together in groups to set up local vaccination centres, and across the county, 20 centres are now in operation, serving all of Devon practices.

GP-led facilities are delivering the vaccine to residents and staff in care homes, while pharmacies have started to deliver the vaccine, and the mass vaccination sites at Home Park in Plymouth, and Westpoint Arena just outside Exeter became operational with thousands of vaccines a day to be delivered.

Every Devon care home has been vaccinated as well, except for those where there were active outbreaks.