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Covid-19 Vaccine Update
04 February 2021
Lead MP
Nadhim Zahawi
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
NHSSocial CareDefenceEmploymentLocal Government
Other Contributors: 30
At a Glance
Nadhim Zahawi raised concerns about covid-19 vaccine update in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
The Minister announced significant progress in the UK's coronavirus vaccination programme, highlighting that more than 10 million people have received their first dose of a vaccine. The programme has vaccinated almost nine in ten over-80s and over-75s, along with half of those aged 70 and above. Vaccinations for residents and staff at eligible care homes are also nearly complete, placing the UK on track to meet its target of offering vaccines to the four most vulnerable groups by mid-February.
The Minister expressed gratitude towards all involved in the programme's success, including volunteers, scientists, NHS employees, social care workers, manufacturers, local authorities, armed forces personnel, and civil servants. He also announced plans for expanding the vaccination sites, aiming to increase access and efficiency further.
Moreover, he mentioned a new clinical trial investigating whether different vaccines can be safely used in a two-dose regime, reinforcing the UK's role as a global hub for vaccine research. Despite these advancements, the Minister emphasised the need for continued vigilance due to high infection levels and hospitalisations.
Alex Norris
Lab
Nottingham North
Question
Does the Minister have data on vaccine uptake among black, Asian, and minority ethnic communities and poorer areas? When will ward-level data be available?
Minister reply
The Government is monitoring take-up rates closely. Ward-level data will soon become accessible to support targeted interventions.
Alex Norris
Lab
Nottingham North
Question
What plans are in place for care home staff who have not yet received vaccinations? Will supply be sufficient to manage second doses?
Minister reply
The Government is working on strategies to encourage unvaccinated care home staff and assures adequate supply for second dose administration.
Alex Norris
Lab
Nottingham North
Question
Will the JCVI consider including key workers in categories 5-9, alongside over-50s, those with underlying health conditions?
Minister reply
Discussions have begun regarding this suggestion. The Minister will continue to engage with the JCVI on the matter.
Alex Norris
Lab
Nottingham North
Question
Will HIV clinics be allowed to connect individuals for direct vaccination, ensuring no one is missed?
Minister reply
The Minister will investigate ways to facilitate access for those with HIV who receive healthcare through HIV clinics.
Alex Norris
Lab
Nottingham North
Question
Will household members of the clinically extremely vulnerable be vaccinated for additional protection?
Minister reply
The Minister will consider this suggestion to provide an extra layer of protection for blood cancer patients and other CEV individuals.
Alex Norris
Lab Co-op
Nottingham North and Kimberley
Question
The MP thanked the Minister for his statement and noted the progress made in vaccine distribution. He raised several concerns including data on lagging take-up among black, Asian and minority ethnic communities and poorer areas, numbers of care home staff who have received their first dose, assurance of sufficient supply for second doses, local primary care network-based options, inclusion of key workers in priority groups, HIV clinic patients' access to vaccines, and vaccinating household members of the clinically extremely vulnerable. He also requested an update on trials data regarding Pfizer vaccine.
Minister reply
The Minister confirmed ongoing clinical trials involving residents of care homes and frontline health workers. He stated that age is currently the deciding factor in prioritising vaccinations based on JCVI recommendations, which account for 99% of mortality. The Minister also discussed efforts to publish data by ethnicity and engage local government for better identification of individuals needing protection. On care home staff vaccinations, he mentioned multiple visits into care homes to encourage uptake. Regarding second doses, assurances were given that all recipients will receive their Pfizer or Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines within the 12-week period.
Caroline Ansell
Con
Eastbourne
Question
Acknowledging the success of Eastbourne's vaccination programme, Caroline Ansell raises concerns about potential increases in 'did not attend' rates as access and options have increased. She seeks reassurance that the structure of the vaccine campaign is being reviewed to maintain confidence.
Minister reply
Nadhim Zahawi acknowledges the local success but addresses public confusion by highlighting the strategy of reaching out directly to GPs to ensure everyone in priority categories receives a vaccine offer.
Rachael Maskell
Lab Co-op
York Central
Question
Maskell points out that smaller community pharmacies are excluded from contributing due to a minimum requirement of 1,000 vaccines per week. She asks if the Minister will allow local pharmacies to collaborate and deliver smaller volumes.
Minister reply
Zahawi explains that the current requirement is necessary due to finite vaccine supply but assures Maskell that more pharmacies will be included as supply improves.
Question
Drax raises concerns over the 12-week interval for Pfizer vaccinations, citing potential risks of reduced efficacy. He requests an update on this matter.
Minister reply
Zahawi clarifies that national regulatory authorities and medical experts have agreed that a 12-week interval is appropriate based on Pfizer’s own data.
Andrew Slaughter
Lab
Hammersmith and Chiswick
Question
Slaughter expresses concerns about vaccine supply in Hammersmith and Fulham, noting missed targets for vaccinations. He requests an investigation into vaccine distribution.
Minister reply
Zahawi agrees to investigate the specific situation mentioned by Slaughter while pointing out that vaccination levels have improved.
Question
Eastwood commends frontline NHS and care staff for their efforts during the pandemic and asks about the percentage take-up rate of vaccinations among these groups.
Minister reply
Zahawi confirms that all eligible care homes have received vaccine offers and urges healthcare workers to accept them. He mentions a vaccination centre in Wakefield aimed at serving staff needs.
Kerry McCarthy
Lab
Bristol East
Question
McCarthy addresses concerns about the efficacy of current vaccines against new virus variants found in Bristol.
Minister reply
Zahawi assures that current vaccines remain effective and that any future needs will be addressed with vaccine manufacturers.
Question
Chishti calls for a mass vaccination centre in Medway, citing the area's high population and recent difficulties during the pandemic.
Minister reply
Zahawi acknowledges conversations about this matter and assures that there is ongoing work to step up vaccination services in Medway.
Question
Fellows criticises the use of armed forces for vaccine deployment as a cynical and divisive move.
Minister reply
Zahawi celebrates the deployment of UK's armed forces and vaccines, suggesting that this is not a matter for division.
Tracey Crouch
Con
Somerton and Frome
Question
Congratulates the Minister on the vaccine roll-out, requests a Medway vaccination centre and asks for data sharing systems to support PCNs in their work.
Minister reply
Agrees to meet with colleagues to discuss plans up to mid-February, promises to look at concerns about Foundry and Outcomes4Health to ensure proper data sharing.
Liz Twist
Lab
Blaydon and Consett
Question
Thanks NHS staff for their work in vaccinating priority groups and asks when directors of public health will get the necessary data to address inequalities.
Minister reply
Praises the north-east’s performance, states that NHS is sharing data with local government already but needs to make it more granular.
Andrew Murrison
Con
South West Wiltshire
Question
Compliments the Government's vaccine roll-out internationally and asks about disbursement of surplus jabs.
Minister reply
States priority is securing inventory for UK vaccination, mentions £1.3 billion put into Gavi and COVAX to help low and middle-income countries.
Afzal Khan
Lab
Manchester Rusholme
Question
Thanks Minister for supporting a video encouraging vaccine take-up in south Asian communities, asks about tackling disinformation online.
Minister reply
Praises the initiative by MPs of south Asian heritage, mentions working with digital platforms to remove disinformation.
North Cotswolds
Question
Thanks NHS colleagues and volunteers in Gloucestershire for their work and asks for clarity on the completion of priority categories.
Minister reply
Acknowledges the good work done by primary care networks, states that focus should be on vaccinating top four cohorts by mid-February.
Toby Perkins
Lab
Chesterfield
Question
Asks why national vaccination centres are prioritised over local hubs and requests same access to vaccines for primary care network hubs.
Minister reply
Acknowledges the role of PCNs, mentions that the STP in Chesterfield has reached 89% of the over-80s with vaccinations.
Mark Harper
Con
Forest of Dean
Question
Suggests starting to unlock the economy once vaccines have become effective for first four cohorts and all nine groups are vaccinated.
Minister reply
Agrees, mentions reopening schools on 8 March and gradually opening up the economy based on evidence from Vivaldi study and SIREN study.
Kirsty Blackman
SNP
Aberdeen North
Question
The UK Government have pre-purchased 300 million doses for a population of 66 million. Guinea, a low-income country, has received only 55 doses for its entire population. Given that COVAX will cover only about 20% of the population in low and middle-income countries, can the Minister explain how the UK will step up and take part as global Britain, ensuring that those people in low and middle-income countries and developing countries are able to access the vaccine?
Minister reply
The United Kingdom has contributed £450 million-plus into COVAX and a total of £1.3 billion into GAVI's vaccine initiative. Once enough supply is available, we will look at our vaccine supply strategy for low and middle-income countries.
Question
First, let me offer my congratulations to the Minister on achieving more than 10 million vaccinations. I wonder whether he will comment on how soon I will be able to wander down to my local chemist to get a jab, as I did for flu.
Minister reply
The limiting factor at the moment is the finite amount of vaccine available. As we receive more volume through, convenience such as walking to one's local chemist will become possible.
Mark Hendrick
Lab Co-op
Preston
Question
We know that all vaccinations are captured in real time and populate GP records within 24 hours. However, only the aggregated data is provided to local vaccination leads. It is absolutely necessary that they receive line-by-line data at citizen level to enable them to respond immediately to low uptake—for example from BAME communities—or accessibility issues in identified cohorts. When will the Minister provide local vaccination leads with the detailed line-by-line vaccination data that is required to level up the fight against this deadly disease, and can he explain why it is not already being shared?
Minister reply
Local public health officials need granular data to target hard-to-reach groups such as BAME communities. CCG-level data will be published very soon.
Question
I wholeheartedly congratulate my hon. Friend and all those involved in delivering over 10 million vaccines to the most vulnerable in our communities right across the UK, including at the vaccination hub opened on Tuesday at Ludlow racecourse with support to the local NHS from Royal Air Force medics, volunteers from Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service and Shropshire Council, and many community volunteers. May I ask my hon. Friend to consider most carefully, for those areas where deployment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine proved especially difficult —for example, primary care networks covering remote rural areas, with small GP practices and a sparse population, and lacking suitable premises to host large numbers per day, such as in south-west Shropshire—whether deliveries of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine can be prioritised to ensure that the priority group targets are met?
Minister reply
Deliveries of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine have been higher recently and continue to allow for deployment at individual practices in rural areas.
Angela Eagle
Lab
Wallasey
Question
The Minister was uncharacteristically coy in answer to the hon. Member for The Cotswolds (Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown) about how we will kick on after the top four priority groups have been vaccinated. Will he give us a bit more detail about when he believes all adults over 50 will have received their vaccination? Clearly there are members of his own party who wish to open up faster than that, and with more than 1,000 people a day still dying, we have to ensure that we make the right decisions.
Minister reply
My target is mid-February for vaccinating the top four cohorts, after which I or the Secretary of State will come to the Dispatch Box to share further plans.
Question
Will the Minister join me in thanking the staff of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, our GP practices and the many volunteers who have worked so hard in recent weeks to deliver more than 100,000 doses of vaccine across Aberconwy and the beautiful but rural north Wales? Can he confirm that Public Health Wales has received enough vaccine doses to vaccinate the first four priority groups in Wales by mid-February?
Minister reply
Wales will have received the allocation for groups 1 to 4 by mid-February, allowing them to vaccinate these groups.
Tim Farron
Lib Dem
Westmorland and Lonsdale
Question
Unpaid carers provide a huge service to our community in South Lakeland, especially for the people they care for directly. If they get ill, that is a huge welfare risk for the people they care for. There has been confusion over whether unpaid carers will be prioritised for the vaccine, because although the Government said that they would be in priority group 6, they are missing from other communications, including the summary list in the vaccine delivery plan. Will the Minister clarify once and for all that unpaid carers rightly will be on the priority list?
Minister reply
Unpaid carers will be included on the priority list.
Luke Evans
Con
Hinckley and Bosworth
Question
Lockdown has affected the mental wellbeing of almost everyone in this country. The vaccine programme will mean that the NHS comes into contact with almost every adult in the country. With that in mind, will the Minister consider having a mental health worker at all the national vaccine centres, to provide opportunistic mental health interventions should people need it?
Minister reply
The suggestion of including mental health workers at vaccination centres is excellent and thoughtful, and will be discussed with relevant departments.
Shadow Comment
Alex Norris
Shadow Comment
The Shadow Minister congratulated the Government on the progress made in vaccinating over 10 million people. He acknowledged the importance of data regarding vaccine uptake among black, Asian, and minority ethnic communities, as well as poorer communities. Alex Norris asked for detailed ward-level data to better understand take-up rates.
He also sought clarification on plans to encourage care home staff who have not yet received vaccinations, and assurance that second doses will be available when required. Concerns were raised about access issues for individuals using primary care networks and the prioritisation of key workers in categories 5-9 by the JCVI.
The Shadow Minister also discussed the vaccination of HIV patients and household members of those who are clinically extremely vulnerable, advocating for additional protection measures.
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