Dr Hilary discusses vaccine rollout on Lorraine
More than four million first doses of the coronavirus vaccine have now been administered in the UK, and rollout will continue over the coming months. The UK has approved the Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for use in the UK, and it is hoped vaccine rollout could help to ease the UK out of what has been several months of lockdown. There is global demand for vaccines, so the number of people vaccinated over the coming months will be dependent on the supply of vaccines to the UK.
Can you pay for a Covid vaccine?
In the UK it is not currently possible to purchase a Covid vaccine privately.
The Government vaccine guidance currently states: “The Covid-19 vaccination is only available through the NHS to eligible groups and it is a free vaccination.”
Vaccines are currently being distributed based on the priority list set out by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
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The JCVI priority list is as follows:
- Residents in a care home for older adults and their carers
- All those 80 years of age and over and frontline health and social care workers
- All those 75 years of age and over
- All those 70 years of age and over and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals
- All those 65 years of age and over
- All individuals aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality
- All those 60 years of age and over
- All those 55 years of age and over
- All those 50 years of age and over
The Government target is to vaccinate all people within the top four priority groups by mid-February, because the people in the priority groups are considered at higher risk of Covid-19.
This week Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization (WHO) director-general, said the world is on the brink of a “catastrophic moral failure”.
He said: “The price of this failing will be paid with lives and livelihoods in the world’s poorest countries.
“It’s not right that younger, healthier adults in rich countries are vaccinated before health workers and older people in poorer countries.”
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Are Covid vaccines available at pharmacies?
In the UK some vaccines have started to be administered in pharmacies, however vaccines cannot be purchased privately at pharmacies.
From January 14, a number of high street pharmacies started offering vaccines at pilot sites including Boots, Halifax; Andrews Pharmacy, Macclesfield; Appleton Village Pharmacy, Widnes; Superdrug Pharmacy, Guildford; Cullimore Chemist, Edgware and Woodside Pharmacy, Telford.
More pharmacies are expected to start administering vaccines over the coming weeks.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock, said: “It is fantastic that high-street pharmacies will now begin deploying Covid-19 vaccinations.
“Pharmacies sit at the heart of local communities and will make a big difference to our rollout programme by providing even more local, convenient places for those that are eligible to get their jab.”
Vaccines Minister, Nadhim Zahawi, said: “Staff across the NHS have pulled out all the stops to help ramp up vaccinations and are working day and night to keep people safe.
“Pharmacies play a vital role in caring for the nation and I am really pleased to see them coming on stream to help with the national vaccine roll-out effort.”
People are being contacted when it is their turn to receive the Covid vaccine.
Once someone has been invited to a vaccine appointment, they will be given details on how to book their vaccine appointment.
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