UK ‘faces vaccine chaos’: Doctors warn jab rollout could turn into shambles like PPE fiasco with hundreds of GP surgeries still waiting for Pfizer jabs and elderly patients facing last-minute cancellations
- At one health centre in South London 75 doses of the vaccine were left over
- The Pfizer vaccine must be used within five days of being thawed to work
- Elderly people may be struggling with transport or are nervous to go out
Doctors, MPs and care chiefs have warned the Government that its vaccine programme could turn into a ‘shambles like the PPE fiasco’ if current issues with the rollout are not fixed.
Hundreds of GP surgeries and hospitals are still waiting to receive doses of the Pfizer vaccine, while doctors warn they are having to cancel jab appointments for the elderly due to the hold-up.
Meanwhile, only seven areas of England have so far received the vaccine, meaning just 3,000 of the country’s 15,000 care homes can currently access the jab.
Yesterday MPs warned ministers not to repeat the PPE and testing ‘shambles’, according to the Mirror, while the British Medical Association told the paper that distribution issues ‘must be resolved as a matter of urgency’.
It also comes amid growing concern that some older and vulnerable people in the areas where the jabs have so far been rolled-out are not taking up the Pfizer vaccine.
At one health centre in South London, The Mail on Sunday learned that 75 doses of the vaccine were left over as uptake had been so low.
But amid the growing concern today came a flash of hope that Britain could be free of tight Covid restrictions by the end of February.
Ministers have now pinpointed the 15 million people who would need vaccinations to end the cycles of crippling lockdowns.
With the ‘game-changing’ Oxford jab expected to be approved within days, the Government hopes that enough doses will soon be available to inoculate those most vulnerable to within weeks.
Concerns are growing that some older and vulnerable people are not taking up the Pfizer vaccine
Concerns are growing that some older and vulnerable people are not taking up the Pfizer vaccine.
It comes as in one health centre in South London, managers were left scrambling to find other patients to vaccinate and even offered a jab to healthy volunteers working there.
The Pfizer vaccine must be used within five days of being thawed or it offers no protection. Experts suggested that elderly people may be struggling with transport or are nervous about venturing outdoors.
Caroline Abrahams at Age UK, said: ‘Simply getting to and from hospital is a huge challenge for a lot of older people.’
The Pfizer vaccine must be used within five days of being thawed or it offers no protection
But an NHS spokesman insisted: ‘Uptake has been strong so far.’
The fears follow reports that care home residents have yet to receive the vaccine in large numbers despite being classed as high priority.
The Times reported Whitehall figures which suggested people in care only accounted for 0.3 per cent of the first 613,000 people who have received the jab.