Covid-19 Vaccine Roll-out

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Questions included those about the timeline for vaccine deployment, especially in areas like Leicester that are not yet designated hospital hubs. He also asked when local primary care network hubs and mass vaccination centres would be announced and requested assurances of accessibility for disabled people and appropriate staff training. Ashworth questioned whether all care homes will have access to vaccines by Christmas and sought confirmation on vaccinating NHS students, including medical and physiotherapy students.

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The MP congratulates the Health and Social Care Secretary, scientists, vaccines taskforce, and NHS frontline staff on the success of launching the vaccination programme ahead of schedule. He inquires about the possibility of booking summer holidays now that vaccinations have begun.

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The MP welcomes the commencement of the safe and effective vaccination programme and highlights the need to counter misinformation online and jingoistic nonsense. He asks about extra steps to ensure public trust in the vaccine's safety, fairness in access until it is widely available, a strategy similar to Scotland’s for pursuing virus elimination, and when it will be available to all who want it.

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The MP echoes the Secretary of State’s thanks to MHRA for its work ensuring vaccine safety. She asks for further clarity on how vaccination hubs are allocated and reassures constituents in Scunthorpe, currently in Tier 3, that they will receive the vaccine soon.

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The MP welcomes the vaccine programme but raises concerns about cronyism and profiteering in some of the covid-19 contracts. He asks how the Secretary of State will ensure these do not become features.

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The MP congratulates the team on their work and thanks William Harvey Hospital in Ashford for dispensing the vaccine. He asks if residents of care homes deserve to be vaccinated first.

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The MP welcomes the vaccine roll-out and expresses optimism about summer holidays. She asks if it’s feasible that most vulnerable will be vaccinated by spring and how many healthy under-50s might be vaccinated by school summer holidays.

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The MP thanks the Secretary of State and Department for vaccine roll-out. She asks if being one of first countries to secure vaccines allows quicker local restrictions lifting in new year.

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The MP thanks the Secretary of State for making vaccine happen, asks if he liaised with Treasury for funding needed in devolved nations, highlights flu vaccine roll-out delay and requests military assistance.

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Expresses gratitude for the vaccine's development, acknowledges its importance, and asks about plans to expand vaccination sites.

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Congratulates on the vaccine news but expresses concern about no-deal Brexit's impact on vaccine supply chains and local hospital provision in London.

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Welcomes Stepping Hill Hospital's involvement in the vaccine programme and emphasises the importance of continued adherence to public health measures.

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Acknowledges frontline workers feeling ignored by the priority list set by JCVI and asks about future prioritisation for unpaid carers.

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Praises efforts in vaccine creation and distribution but asks about easing tier restrictions as vaccinations progress.

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Highlights the importance of public acceptance of vaccination and advises on the measured tone of ministers' announcements.

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Concerned about remote areas' access to vaccines, especially in Scotland and Wales.

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Requests resources for local public health teams to improve contact tracing and testing, citing low current contact rates.

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Asks about vaccine storage facilities for Ipswich constituents and plans to store vaccines locally.

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Raises concerns about lack of transparency in Government contracts, including vaccine-related ones.

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I join the Secretary of State in thanking NHS staff in Gloucestershire Hospitals for rolling out the vaccine. Given the cautious approach to rolling out the vaccine, I ask the Government to justify every restriction and balance between reducing covid cases, economic impact, and non-covid health harm.

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When discussing vulnerable groups, will the Government ensure those who are homeless do not get forgotten? What steps are being taken to reach all vulnerable people?

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How is the Department working with local authorities like Darlington Borough Council to inform constituents about how, when and where they can access the vaccine?

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When can people resident and working in care homes, as well as family members expect to get vaccinated?

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Can the Secretary of State assure that home visits will be part of the roll-out plan for those who cannot leave their homes?

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Will extra resources be given to poorer areas with fewer GPs to ensure a fair distribution of the vaccine across the UK?

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Can Secretary of State confirm that this week we will start to see the vaccine roll-out in West Yorkshire?

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What work will be done to ensure no one is left behind in the vaccine roll-out, especially asylum seekers without an NHS number?

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Will my right hon. Friend agree to look at the case of a GP surgery concerned about resource implications in delivering the vaccine due to being severely understaffed?

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My clinical commissioning group was given 24 hours to get together the GP practices to roll out the vaccine and set a criterion of 1,500 over-80s. Inner-city Bradford has nine years less life expectancy than other areas yet no centres are in inner cities.

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What measures is he putting in place to accelerate the development of capacity to make more vaccine and develop covid therapeutic antibodies?

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Can the Secretary of State tell us a bit more about the work his Department is doing with the devolved Administrations to make sure the vaccine is distributed quickly and fairly to all four nations of our UK?

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Does he agree with me that we must keep adhering to social distancing, and face, space and hands, and that never more so than now is that a moral imperative, so we can all get back together sooner as a non-socially distanced community, with covid-19 confined to a memory only?

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The Secretary of State will not be surprised, bearing in mind his track record in rolling out testing and tracing, that the hope offered today comes with some serious concerns about the delivery and administration of the vaccine. He has said repeatedly this morning that there are five contingency plans for delivery in the event of failed Brexit talks. What are they?

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Can my right hon. Friend tell me a bit more about how the vaccine roll-out will roll over into next door Carshalton and Wallington, so that people can share in George’s joy?

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Instead of every vaccine being individually prescribed, he could issue a patient group directive. Is that in his plan? Will he be doing it?

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Although the past nine months of pandemic may at times have shone a spotlight on some of the division and tension inherent in our system of devolved government, does he agree that what today fundamentally demonstrates is that when we work together—when we collaborate as a strong family of nations—what we can achieve as a United Kingdom is truly remarkable?

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Will that influence the Government’s distribution strategy in any way? Specifically, will certain vaccines be prioritised for certain groups?

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Will he reassure me that patients in mental health services, particularly in-patients, and NHS staff who work in in-patient mental health services will be prioritised for this vaccine and will not be an afterthought?

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Concerns have been raised with me about whether sporting competitions will be subject to compulsory vaccination, so what assessment has the Secretary of State made of that—not only for elite sport, but for all competitive sport in 2021?

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How can we get them on the same page as us quickly?

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The vaccine is indeed welcome news, but until it is fully rolled out, the north-east will continue to be harmed by the lack of economic support that accompanies tier 3 restrictions. Can he therefore tell me precisely what level these figures will have to be at for the north-east to be moved into tier 2?

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A charming lady of 92 has contacted me. She lives on her own and cannot get out of the house. Is it correct to assure my constituent that she will be looked after and gets her vaccination as soon as possible?

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Looking ahead to Christmas, I have been approached by a number of emergency service workers who will miss out on the opportunity to see loved ones because of the window for household mixing. Has the Secretary of State given any consideration to flexibility?

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Can my right hon. Friend tell me specifically when those with particular vulnerabilities, such as cancer patients, can expect the call for vaccination?

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Although it is right that NHS and social care staff will be among the first to receive the vaccine, what consideration has the Department of Health given to prioritising access for other groups of key workers?

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Will he provide assurance that logistics are in place to ensure that those in remote rural areas, such as those in Cumbria, will be able to access the vaccination programme without any delay?

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May I press the Secretary of State on the point about transport workers, particularly taxi drivers, who are vulnerable not just because of their contact with the public, but because they are overwhelmingly drawn from BAME communities? Are they likely to be considered for vaccination early?

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Now, as we scale up the roll-out programme, will he join me in reassuring people that despite the speed of development, not a single stage was missed and that the MHRA has done its usual due diligence?

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Does the Secretary of State agree that, as we go into next year, we should take with us and bear in mind the fact that we have done this across the UK, as a United Kingdom?

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Does the Secretary of State agree that it is really important that people take the vaccine when they are offered it? The next time he speaks to Mark Zuckerberg, will he remind him that we expect his companies to act against harmful anti-vaccine disinformation?