In the City of London and the borough of Hackney, we have a highly deprived population with a life expectancy that is 10 to 20 years shorter than in other parts of the country, meaning that our 65-year-olds are as vulnerable as 75-year-olds elsewhere. We have a high number of patients who are anxious about being vaccinated, many of whom tell us they are going to “wait a bit” and see what happens. In spite of contacting patients three times, we have not been able to persuade them. We will try again. However, our vaccination centres are now having to close for half the day. We have the buildings, the vaccinators, the support staff and the vaccines, but no patients.
We have pleaded with NHS bosses to be allowed to vaccinate 68- and 69-year-olds but have been told to wait. We have also been told that if we don’t use the vaccine it will be moved elsewhere. In effect, our vulnerable sixtysomethings are being told they cannot have the vaccine until older patients who don’t yet want the vaccine have been persuaded. Centres sit empty. This is madness.
The speed of the programme will lessen the risk of mutations arising in Britain and decrease the rate of death. Yet we are told that is not as important as “proving” we have tried hard enough with the over-70s. The more we vaccinate, the lower the risk to everyone. To my mind this refusal to allow us to move to the next cohort is unethical. It will result in deaths that could have been prevented if our vaccination centres had been working to capacity. Why is this acceptable to the NHS bureaucracy?
Dr Deborah Colvin
GP, London
• The government rejected Keir Starmer’s proposal to vaccinate school staff during the half-term holiday, arguing that teachers are at no greater risk than others of the same age. The effect of their vaccination is not only on teachers, however. Primary school classes include teachers and assistants, and if any are Covid-positive, the class quarantines for two weeks; secondary school children interface with various staff in the course of a week, and last autumn many primary and secondary school classes were sent home to quarantine, so are losing education experience.
For these reasons other countries prioritise vaccination of school staff, providing confidence for children to return to school, and reducing staff absence and class closures.
Prof Joy Townsend
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
