Babak Belurs

Kamis, 18 Maret 2021

COVID-19: Boris Johnson says no change to next steps of roadmap out of lockdown despite UK facing cut in vaccine supply - Sky News

The prime minister has said there will be "no change" to England's lockdown easing roadmap, despite the NHS warning of a "significant reduction" in the supply of coronavirus vaccines next month.

Speaking at a Downing Street news conference, Boris Johnson said the country's "progress along the road to freedom continues unchecked".

"We remain on track to reclaim the things we love, to see our families and friends again, to return to our local pubs, our gyms and sports facilities and of course our shops," he added.

Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world

A need to retest more than one-and-a-half million COVID-19 vaccine doses - as well as delays to doses arriving from India - will lead to a cut in the supply of jabs next month.

Addressing this at the latest Number 10 briefing, Mr Johnson said: "We've always said in a vaccination programme of this pace and scale some interruptions in supply are inevitable and it is true that in the short-term we're receiving fewer vaccines than we had planned for a week ago."

He added: "We will receive slightly fewer vaccines in April than in March, but that is still more than we received in February."

The PM said the Indian government had not stopped doses from being shipped to Britain, putting the delay down to "various technical reasons".

Nonetheless, Mr Johnson said "the supply we do have will still enable us to hit the targets we have set" for vaccines.

The UK has set a target of offering everyone in the top nine priority groups - all over 50s and everyone with an underlying health condition - a jab by the middle of April.

Meanwhile, the plan is to vaccinate all UK adults by the end of July.

Mr Johnson revealed at the news conference that he would be getting an Oxford-AstraZeneca jab on Friday.

More than a dozen EU countries have suspended its use after reports of some people suffering blood clots after being vaccinated.

But the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the UK's medicines regulator, has said that any link between the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 jab and blood clots is unproven and the benefits of the vaccine outweigh any risks.

The World Health Organisation has said that the benefits of having the vaccine outweigh any risks, while the European Medicines Agency said on Thursday that the jab was "safe and effective" to use.

"The Oxford jab is safe and the Pfizer jab is safe - the thing that isn't safe is catching COVID, which is why it is so important we all get our jabs as soon as our turn comes," the PM said.

The MHRA said it has received five reports of a specific brain blood clot in individuals who have had the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, although no causal link has been made with the jab.

The five were men aged between 19 and 59 who experienced a clot together with low blood platelet count. One of them has since died.

The MHRA is investigating the reports, but stressed the events were "extremely rare" and they could have been caused by coronavirus itself.

It is not known at this stage whether the individuals had underlying health conditions.

The MHRA said the number of cases translated to a less than one in a million chance of suffering this type of clot among those who have had the jab.

In contrast, the risk of dying from coronavirus aged 40 to 49 was one in 1,000.

MHRA chief executive Dr June Raine told the Downing Street news conference that the regulator was constantly monitoring the safety of vaccines to help identify any new side effects.

She said the MHRA had undertaken a "rigorous scientific review of all the available data with regard to suspected blood clots".

She said this review, alongside the assessment of independent scientists in the Commission on Human Medicines, showed "there is no difference that blood clots in veins are occurring more than would be expected in the absence of vaccination for either vaccine".

Dr Raine added: "The public can have every confidence in the thoroughness of our review."

Professor Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, told the same briefing: "This is a very significant disease that is very common, with a very effective vaccine - two vaccines in the case of AZ and Pfizer.

"Real issues that we always have to think about with all drugs, but they are so much smaller than the benefits to getting the vaccines."

He said there were "anecdotal reports" of small numbers of people not turning up for appointments in the wake of the headlines surrounding the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab.

But Professor Whitty said there had not been a pronounced effect on uptake, declaring: "The general public is, as always, sensible and steady on this. They understand this is a dangerous disease."

Facing MPs earlier on Thursday to field questions about the vaccine rollout, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the UK was "currently right now in the middle of some bumper weeks of supply".

It was announced on Wednesday that the UK has now administered more than 25 million first doses.

However, the health secretary admitted that supply in April will be "tighter than this month and we have a huge number of second doses to deliver".

Around 12 million people will require their second jabs next month.

Mr Hancock is insistent that the reduction in supply will not affect the targets for the UK's vaccine rollout.

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2021-03-18 17:48:45Z
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Covid vaccine: Supply issues 'will not impact roadmap' in England - Hancock - BBC News

Delays to the UK's Covid vaccine supply in April will not affect people getting their second doses or England's roadmap out of lockdown, the health secretary says.

Matt Hancock told MPs: "We are on track for the dates in the roadmap and there is no impact" to the planned easing of coronavirus restrictions.

The UK's supply has been affected by a delayed shipment from India, he said.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the delays were "a cause of concern".

NHS England warned of a reduction in supply in April in a letter sent to local health organisations on Wednesday.

In a statement to the House of Commons, Mr Hancock also revealed that a separate batch of 1.7 million doses was held up as it needed to be retested.

He said the government was still "on track" to deliver on the "targets to offer the vaccine to everyone 50 and over, and all adults by the end of July".

He added that he wanted to give reassurance that "there will be no weeks in April with no first doses".

"There will be no cancelled appointments as a result of supply issues - second doses will go ahead as planned," he said.

Around 12 million people will receive their second dose next month, Mr Hancock said, adding that they could not be delayed as they had to be delivered within 12 weeks of the first dose.

Dates in England's roadmap for easing coronavirus restrictions are conditional on four tests being met, including the vaccine programme continuing to go to plan.

Mr Hancock said the roadmap had not been affected by the "changes to vaccine supply that we've been detailing in the last 24 hours".

Sir Keir said the vaccine rollout had "been going really, really well" and he was "concerned about the delays".

Speaking during a visit to a vaccination centre in Edinburgh, he said: "We need to get to the bottom of it and we need transparency from the government about what the problem is."

An expected reduction in the UK's supply in April is partly due to a delay in the delivery from the Serum Institute of India of five million Oxford-AstraZeneca doses, which has been held up by four weeks.

A spokesperson for the Serum Institute said: "Five million doses had been delivered a few weeks ago to the UK and we will try to supply more later, based on the current situation and the requirement for the government immunisation programme in India."

More than 25 million people in the UK have had a first dose of a Covid vaccine, while around 1.7 million have had a second jab.

After opening up appointments to all over-50s on Wednesday, the NHS in England was then told not to offer jabs to younger age groups throughout April.

The Scottish government has said it is "confident" vaccine targets will be met, while the governments in Wales and Northern Ireland said they were examining how their own vaccine programmes could be affected.

Moderna supplies 'in coming weeks'

The rest of the UK's AstraZeneca doses are being produced domestically and the company says there are no supply issues.

Pfizer, which produces its vaccine in Belgium, says its deliveries to the NHS are also on track.

The UK has also approved a third vaccine, made by Moderna, and Mr Hancock said he is expecting supplies "in the coming weeks".

More than 400 million doses of Covid vaccines have been ordered by the UK, including jabs made by Valneva, GlaxoSmithKline, Novavax and Janssen, which are yet to be approved.

Analysis box by Nick Triggle, health correspondent

Predicting what supply is available in the future is difficult. Vaccine production is a biological process so manufacturers can never absolutely guarantee how much will be available.

When you are relying on supplies from abroad there's an added element of complexity.

The UK only has two plants that are currently producing an approved vaccine - both make the AstraZeneca jab. Stocks of Pfizer come from Belgium. Both these supply routes are currently delivering what has been forecast.

A deal was done with India to supply 10 million doses. But it was always made clear the exact date of shipment could not be absolutely guaranteed.

The government had understood the full shipment would arrive in time for mid-March and felt it needed to get vaccination clinics ready to do extra doses. They have now had to be stood down.

It comes after expectations were ramped up at the weekend after briefing to the media that the target to offer all adults a jab by the end of July could be hit a month early.

Those hopes now seem to have been dashed. Another reminder of just how fragile supply is.

The Serum Institute of India is the world's largest manufacturer of vaccines and is making one billion doses of the AstraZeneca jab this year for low and middle-income countries.

Its chief executive, Adar Poonawalla, has previously called for patience over global vaccine deliveries, saying the company has been "directed to prioritise the huge needs of India".

He has also raised concerns about raw material shortages, attributing this to US export bans on specific items needed to make vaccines, such as specialised bags and filters.

Earlier this month, it agreed to supply 10 million doses for the UK, but only half of these will arrive this month with the rest delayed for several weeks.

Under-50s 'will have to wait'

On Monday NHS sources said there would be a big increase in the number of people being offered vaccinations in the coming days after the UK received the first shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine from India.

Prof Martin Marshall, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said over the next two weeks the NHS would be pushing on with vaccinating over-50s and vulnerable people while it had a "bumper supply".

He said the announcement of a shortage was "disappointing" news and it would impact "the group we were hoping to start on in April which is the people under the age of 50 without any pre-existing conditions" who would now have to wait until May.

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LOCKDOWN LIFTING: Four back to school worries and how to ease them
THE SCIENCE OF SIDE EFFECTS: James Gallagher reflects on his personal experience of having the vaccine as well as diving into the science behind them

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2021-03-18 16:21:35Z
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COVID-19: Need to retest 1.7 million doses and delays to supplies from India behind reduced vaccine numbers, Matt Hancock says - Sky News

A need to retest more than one-and-a-half million vaccine doses - as well as delays to doses arriving from India - will lead to a "tighter" supply of COVID jabs next month, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has told MPs.

The NHS has warned of a month-long "significant reduction" in weekly supply of vaccines in a letter to local health leaders.

Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world

Explaining the reasons for the reduced number of vaccines in April, Mr Hancock told the House of Commons: "In the last week, we've had a batch of 1.7 million doses delayed because of the need to retest its stability.

"Events like this are to be expected in a manufacturing endeavour of this complexity and this shows the rigour of our safety checks.

"And we have a delay in a scheduled arrival from the Serum Institute of India."

It is understood the delayed supply from the Serum Institute - amid suggestions of a block on exports by India's government - totals five million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

In other developments:

• First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland would have 500,000 fewer vaccine doses over the next month than had been anticipated
• The UK's supply of coronavirus jabs to Gibraltar has now seen the territory complete its entire adult vaccination programme, which Mr Hancock told MPs was a world-first

The health secretary said, during April, there are around 12 million people in the UK who require second doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

"These second doses can't be delayed as they have to be delivered within 12 weeks of the first dose," he said.

He told MPs the UK was "currently right now in the middle of some bumper weeks of supply".

But he admitted vaccine supply in April would be "tighter than this month and we have a huge number of second doses to deliver".

The health secretary reiterated the UK remains on course to offer a first vaccine dose to the top nine priority groups - including all over-50s - by the middle of next month, as well as vaccinating all UK adults by the end of July.

"I also want to clear up some rumours that have been circulating and give people reassurance; there will be no weeks in April with no first doses," he said.

"There will be no cancelled appointments as a result of supply issues - second doses will go ahead as planned."

Mr Hancock praised the partnership with the Serum Institute as one the UK "can be proud of".

He thanked them for their "incredible work" in producing one billion doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine for the UK and the rest of the world this year.

Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth told Mr Hancock that Britons would be "worried, anxious and disappointed" at the news on vaccines.

"We understand why there will be delays in supply, of course we understand that, but this is not fantastic news - and nor, frankly, is it expected news," he added.

An NHS letter to local health leaders across the country has warned of a "significant reduction in weekly supply" from 29 March for a four-week period.

It added that "volumes for first doses will be significantly constrained", with healthcare providers told those aged 49 and under should only be offered a vaccine in "exceptional circumstances" - such as if they are clinically vulnerable or a frontline care worker.

Vaccination centres were told to close unfilled bookings from 29 March onwards - and to ensure no further appointments are scheduled for the whole of April.

The Serum Institute has suggested India's government was blocking vaccine exports to the UK.

A spokesperson said: "Five million doses had been delivered a few weeks ago to the UK and we will try to supply more later, based on the current situation and the requirement for the government immunisation programme in India."

Analysis: Hancock gives the statement about vaccine supply he should have given a day earlier
By Sam Coates, deputy political editor

Health Secretary Matt Hancock today gave the statement about the vaccine supply squeeze that he should have given in yesterday's surreal backslapping 5pm press conference.

Yesterday he sidestepped questions of shortages, saying the changes outlined by the NHS were technical and routine.

Today he has come back with more detail: telling the House of Commons that a batch of 1.7 million coronavirus doses have been delayed due to the need to be retested, while there has been a delay in a scheduled arrival from the Serum Institute of India.

How serious is this? All government targets will still be met, and the roadmap to lift lockdown in England will be unaffected.

Yet the tone of Mr Hancock's intervention - still downplaying the change as "part of the normal management" of the rollout and "on track to meet the targets set out" - was very different to the NHS which cancelled new appointments in April and suggested the workforce involved needs to be reduced.

The mismatch is curious - and suggests tensions between the Department of Health and NHS England; a discouraging sign of division.

The full implications of the shortage are still not yet fully clear. It depends how many elements of life this summer will require people getting one or both jabs.

If vaccine passports become the norms for holidays and events, then it will mean more weeks of life on hold for those without a vaccine - predominantly the young.

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2021-03-18 13:41:15Z
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COVID-19: Need to retest 1.7 million doses and delays to supplies from India behind reduced vaccine numbers, Matt Hancock says - Sky News

The NHS has warned of a month-long "significant reduction" in weekly supply of vaccines in a letter to local health leaders.

Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world

Explaining the reasons for the reduced number of vaccines in April, Mr Hancock told the House of Commons: "In the last week, we've had a batch of 1.7 million doses delayed because of the need to retest its stability.

"Events like this are to be expected in a manufacturing endeavour of this complexity and this shows the rigour of our safety checks.

"And we have a delay in a scheduled arrival from the Serum Institute of India."

It is understood the delayed supply from the Serum Institute - amid suggestions of a block on exports by India's government - totals five million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

In other developments:

• First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland would have 500,000 fewer vaccine doses over the next month than had been anticipated;
• The UK's supply of COVID jabs to Gibraltar has now seen the territory complete its entire adult vaccination programme, which Mr Hancock told MPs was a world first.

The health secretary said, during April, there are around 12 million people in the UK who require second doses of COVID vaccines.