Business

UK health bosses should not ‘take their eyes off’ with Covid jab rollout, MPs say

Health chiefs overseeing Britain’s Covid-19 vaccination program must be careful to “take their eyes off the ball”, the House of Commons public accounts committee said on Wednesday, warning that nearly 3 million people Haven’t had a single Covid shot yet.

The UK achieved one of the fastest vaccination rollouts in the world after the shot was first approved in December 2020. Nine out of 10 adults had received two doses by the end of the month. 5 years now. However, since Covid MPs say the crisis has eased, there is a risk that vaccination may no longer be seen as a priority.

The Public Expenditure Oversight Committee said 2.98 million adults in the UK were still unvaccinated at the end of May, with another 1.5 million receiving only one dose. The committee noted that the acceptance rate for the first booster shot, for which all adults are eligible, was 73%.

Young city dwellers make up the bulk of the unvaccinated, with just five cities accounting for a quarter of the total, the report said.

Meg Hillier, chair of the committee, praised the “enormous effort of those who developed, secured and managed our Covid Vaccinebut she adds: “It is important that early success does not mean that [of health] and NHS England take their eyes off the ball in tackling future challenges and vaccinating hard-to-reach groups. “

The MPs suggested: Age and ethnicity are factors that account for a low percentage. Only 55% of 16- and 17-year-olds had received two doses of the drug at the end of May, and only 38% of 12- to 15-year-olds. They note that the absorption of the drug by pregnant women is particularly low: in February of this year, only 58% had received two doses, they note.

Meanwhile, compared with people of white British ancestry, blacks, black Britons and Pakistanis are less than half as likely to get a booster shot. The committee said new approaches were needed to address “persistently low absorption in certain ethnic groups”.

It added special challenges related to immunization of people with learning disabilities, which “have not always been consistently or adequately addressed”.

The PAC said NHS England has built on approaches recommended by the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies and the World Health Organization “to achieve impressive uptake to date”. .

But since the country is “no longer in a state of emergency, and other issues have overshadowed COVID-19 in the news, vaccination is now worryingly a lower priority for many,” he said. it added.

It also raised concerns about the capacity and manpower for the vaccination program in the coming months. NHS England has begun planning to cut vaccination sites and staff through 2022 in anticipation of lower overall demand, “but it remains unclear how its strategy will strike the right balance.” between maintaining high immunization coverage and making sure that the PAC says the need for healthcare workers is sustainable.

MPs also questioned the government’s decision to focus the boost program on just two companies: Moderna and Pfizer.

The Department of Health and Social Care and the Vaccine Task Force “urgently review the future Covid-19 vaccine procurement strategy, finding all necessary clinical and commercial experts, to ensure that future contracts are not too narrow for a few suppliers,” they said.

The government said it has been “working hard to reach those who are still unvaccinated against Covid, including using mobile and walk-in vaccination clinics to increase accessibility and convenience, while also delivering messages from trusted voices – such as faith and community leaders – to diversify people coming to immunization”.

NHS England has begun preparations “to ensure they are ready to roll out a Covid vaccine to those who qualify as part of the autumn Covid boost to ensure protection is maintained before winter”. it added.

Source link

news7h

News7h: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button