Sheffield GP issues plea as Covid vaccine supplies 'set to double' within days

More than 17 million people nationally have already had their first jab, but doctors have voiced their concerns about the consistency of supplies reaching vaccinations across the country to date.

That looks set to change soon, however, with GP magazine reporting that NHS England has written to regional health service leaders telling them to prepare to deliver around twice the level of vaccine which had been available from the week of March 15.

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Dr Ollie Hart, clinical director of the Heeley-Plus Primary Care Network, responded on Twitter to the ‘great news’.

“The ask from me as a #PCN CD is please trust us to deliver. We have shown we are nimble and responsive, safe but rapid. We know the mission. Let us plan and deliver with our teams and communities with autonomy. No micromanagement, expecting empty fridges every Monday am,” he added.

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"The more regular and advance notice you can give us the easier it is to reach and book in ALL on our books. The uncertainty and sudden changes cause the fatigue, not the volume of work.”

The increased supply is reportedly down to production at AstraZeneca’s two UK plants, which are reportedly now up to full capacity.

That means around four million doses a week could be administered across the UK during the second half of March, compared with two to three million in recent weeks.

Supplies of a third vaccine, produced by Moderna, are also expected to begin arriving in the UK soon.