"It will cost lives": MPs slam Government decision to take vaccine away from South Yorkshire and divert it elsewhere

At a meeting today the Government informed local officials that due to a disparity in the vaccine rollout between certain areas and South Yorkshire doses that were due to go to local GPs and vaccine centres will now be diverted to other parts of the UK.

Currently many GPs in Sheffield are saying they can carry out 700 injections every day, but are now being told that the vaccine they will get for the whole of next week will be reduced to just 400 doses.

This would amount to a 90 per cent decline in the rate of injections.

Sheffield GP practices vaccinated 50 thousand people in top four priority groups

MP for Sheffield South East Clive Betts slammed this decision calling it an “utter disgrace”.

He said the decision will inevitably cost lives of those in the South Yorkshire area and the Government must change course to prevent avoidable deaths.

“By choosing to divert vaccines away from South Yorkshire they are accepting that there will be avoidable deaths in the region as a result. This is flies in the face of any sort of levelling up agenda they claim to have. Rather it is a deliberate act of levelling down,” said Betts.

“AstraZeneca, one of the vaccine producers, have said that this is nothing to do with the supply of the vaccine but the distribution, which is coordinated by the Government.

"It was overwhelmingly positive": Sheffield GP praises response to Covid vaccinations

“The Government have presided over failure after failure during this pandemic, the vaccine rollout was their chance to finally succeed and help the British people escape this awful crisis. However, it seems like once again they are failing to deliver, and in the process costing lives.”

Speaking in the Commons today Health Secretary Matt Hancock insisted that the issue was due to supply, contradicting the claims of the vaccine suppliers.

He said: “The challenge to supply is, essentially, that we have a lumpy supply.

“It is challenging and therefore it isn’t possible to give certainty as far out as many GPs and those delivering on the ground would like – because the worst thing would be to give false certainty."

Hancock’s announcement comes after healthcare journal HSJ revealed the Government’s intent to almost halve South Yorkshire’s vaccine supplies.

HSJ reported that the Government claims the vaccine supply is limited, and South Yorkshire has been doing so well at rolling it out the decision has been made to divert more to areas further behind in their programmes.

GP praises Sheffield's vaccination progress and says rollout will get faster as long as they have supply

Sheffield City Region mayor and Barnsley Central MP Dan Jarvis said that Matt Hancock was punishing South Yorkshire’s key workers for their success.

He said: "I’m deeply troubled to hear Secretary of State for Health Matt Hancock’s comments in the House of Commons today suggesting progress could be slowed down in our region.

“Our NHS and Primary Care staff are working hard to protect and vaccinate our communities. They must not be punished for their success, otherwise people in Yorkshire will rightly feel this is deeply unfair.

"Minsters must pull out all the stops to ensure progress is not derailed and ensure all parts of the country have the resources and supply they need to vaccinate Britain.”

Earlier this week GPs in Sheffield praised the city’s response to the vaccine rollout, and said that those who had been for their injections already.

Sheffield CCG confirmed today that the city’s GP practices have vaccinated around 50,000 people since the vaccine was rolled out a month ago. This makes it one of the most successful Covid vaccination programmes in the country.

Groups of GP practices are working together in their primary care networks (known as PCNs) to vaccinate people aged over 80, health care workers, care home residents and staff. So far practices have vaccinated more than 70 per cent of the over 80s and the majority of care homes.

Dr Andy Douglas, a GP based in Beighton said: “The people who came out were overwhelmingly positive.

"Our team and the practice manager have been great at organising it. Everybody came together from different surgeries in the PCN, which is quite a rare thing and has not been done before now.”

Dr Douglas added that he thought the rollout of the first dose of the vaccine in Sheffield would get faster if more vaccine is delivered.

"[If we have enough vaccine] we can continue the rollout at 500 a day, which means we will quickly get through a lot of people in the area,” he said.

Mayor Dan Jarvis added his praise to how the NHS staff in Sheffield have handled the rollout.

“I know people across South Yorkshire will be feeling the strain and weariness of another week of national lockdown and sadly, we have some way to go before restrictions can be eased,” He said. “However, we can take renewed heart and hope from the progress being made to roll out the vaccine in our region.

Here's how many Covid vaccines have been administered where you live

“In South Yorkshire, we are on target to have vaccinated the top four priority groups by mid-February, over 280,000 people. It means many of our most vulnerable elderly residents and frontline NHS and social care workers will be protected.

“Vaccinations for the over 80s are currently being administered in over 30 primary care led centres and the region’s hospitals are taking the lead in vaccinating NHS and social care staff.

"Every jab is another small step on our road to recovery: it is an incredible operation, taking place across South Yorkshire, delivered with the upmost professionalism, skill and dedication of our NHS staff and an army of fantastic volunteers. I’d like to pay tribute to all those involved in this herculean effort.”