London has recorded the lowest reported first-dose uptake of the one-off MenB vaccination programme among England’s commissioning regions, according to the first interim coverage figures for young adults.
London rate trails the England figure
By 20 September, 21.0% of eligible people in London’s 2025/26 Year 13 cohort had received a first dose. The England-wide figure was 26.6%, representing 212,549 vaccinations among 799,840 eligible individuals. The South East had the highest regional coverage at 31.6%.
The figures are a snapshot taken nine weeks after the programme began on 20 July. They measure first doses only, so they should not be read as the proportion of young people who have completed the course or as a count of every student beginning university.
A sharper variation inside the capital
London’s regional figure masks further differences. The lowest reported rate among integrated care boards was 16.2% in North East London, while the highest rate nationally was 33.8% in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. The data do not establish why those gaps exist, but they show that take-up is uneven rather than a single London-wide pattern.
The report also records sizeable differences across England by other measures. First-dose coverage was 31.5% among women and 21.9% among men. It ranged from 11.8% in the most deprived tenth of neighbourhoods to 45.0% in the least deprived tenth. Recorded coverage also differed between ethnic groups. Those findings describe uptake in the dataset; they do not on their own explain the barriers facing any individual or community.
What the first report can and cannot show
This is the first monthly report for the scheme and covers only people born from 1 September 2007 to 31 August 2008 who were in Year 13 during the 2025/26 academic year. Some of that group will be starting university, but the available records cannot separately identify first-time university entrants. The report therefore does not give a distinct uptake rate for freshers or for other eligible under-25s.
There are also reasons the published percentages may understate coverage. Vaccinations given outside England are not included in the dataset, while the population estimate may still include people who have left the country. The report says the extent of any undercount cannot be accurately determined. It is more useful, then, as an early picture of recorded first-dose coverage and geographic variation than as a final account of protection.
Who can still take up the offer
The time-limited offer is open to young people in the Year 13 birth cohort and to eligible under-25s starting university, or certain residential further-education courses, for the first time in autumn 2026. The course requires two doses, given at least 28 days apart.
First doses remain available until 31 December 2026 and second doses until 31 March 2027. In England, appointments can be booked through the NHS service, and participating community pharmacies also provide walk-in access. People unsure whether they meet the criteria can check their eligibility before arranging an appointment.
Why the timing matters
The programme was introduced after outbreaks of meningococcal disease earlier this year and is aimed at groups considered at greater risk because of new social mixing and shared living arrangements. The latest figures show that substantial numbers have started the course, but also that most of the measured Year 13 cohort had not yet recorded a first dose by the September cut-off.
For London, the central finding is not simply a lower regional percentage. It is that the first detailed coverage report identifies a marked gap at the point when many eligible young people are moving into a new academic year. Future monthly reports, including data on second doses, will show whether that gap narrows.
