Almost 3 million adults in England have not been vaccinated against the virus, so they are at greater risk of being hospitalized or dying if infected. Another 2.7 million have received just one dose. NHS England and the UK’s Health Security Agency must “urgently assess which methods are most effective” to boost uptake, including “fresh approaches” to tackle persistently low vaccination rates among ethnic groups, according to vaccine release report. More than 125 million doses of Covid vaccine have been distributed across the country since December 2020, with nine in 10 over-12s getting their first dose. But the Public Accounts Committee, which published the report, warned that these “early achievements” should not “cloud the need to review vaccines”, warning that there is uncertainty about how the virus will mutate and whether new massive revival later this year. . Labor MP Dame Meg Hillier, who chairs the committee, urged health leaders not to “take their eye off the ball to address future challenges and deliver vaccines to hard-to-reach groups”. Another round of booster shots is expected later this year, with health chiefs rumored to be interested in making a vaccine specifically for Omicron. Nearly 3 million adults in England have not been vaccinated to protect against the virus, so they are at greater risk of being hospitalized or dying if infected, a government report on the vaccine launch says. The graph shows vaccine uptake among all over 12s in England. About 93.2 percent have had their first dose, 87.3 percent are double jabbed and 68.7 percent have been boosted More than 125 million doses of Covid vaccine have been distributed across the country since December 2020, with nine in 10 over-12s getting their first dose. Chart shows Covid vaccine uptake by dose and by date, leveling uptake across all vaccines The UK Health Safety Agency’s chart shows that more than three-quarters of eligible age groups came in for a spring booster dose. Uptake was highest among those aged 80 to 84 (78.6 per cent), followed by ages 85 to 89 (77.8 per cent), 75 to 79 (77.4 per cent) and over 90 years (75.4 percent)
Experts warn bringing back £2bn-a-month free Covid testing scheme is pointless because last wave will be gone in a MONTH
Calls are intensifying for the return of Covid restrictions in the UK, despite a wealth of data showing that the virus has been reduced to a bad cold for the vast majority of people. Some high-profile experts have publicly urged the government to bring back face masks and free tests after a health secretary admitted they could be brought back if the NHS becomes too busy to clear its backlog. Renewed calls for onerous public health measures are based on high levels of Covid cases and hospital admissions — despite figures showing two-thirds of ‘Covid patients’ on the NHS are not primarily sick with the virus. Death and ICU rates – the barometer for social restrictions – have remained stable despite the rise in cases, which has been attributed to milder strains, vaccines and growing natural immunity. However, Lord Syed Kamall, a junior health minister, admitted yesterday that if Covid is hampering the NHS’s ability to treat other conditions then “measures may well have to be introduced”. Individual hospitals have already begun reintroducing face masks and social distancing in hallways and waiting rooms, in the first sign that curbs are returning to normal life. And today, a number of scientists at Independent SAGE – a campaign group advocating a Chinese-style zero-Covid strategy – began to publicly press for the return of the extortionate free-side flow system, outdoor mixing and face coverings. Their calls come after a symptom monitoring study warned that cases are on track to reach new highs this summer. But other experts told MailOnline that they expect the current surge to burn off naturally in the coming weeks as the virus ebbs and flows before settling into a more stable pattern. They warned that until masks or sidestreams were released, the last wave would be “history.”
By the end of May, 2.98 million adults in England were unvaccinated and another 1.5 million had received just one dose of the Covid vaccine. Many of those unvaccinated are young city dwellers, with residents of five cities making up a quarter of all unvaccinated, the report said. And vaccination is now a “worryingly lower priority for many people” as the country is no longer in a state of emergency, MPs said. They called on the NHS to “set itself the challenge” of reducing the number of unvaccinated adults to 2.5 million and achieving an 80 per cent take-up for the first booster dose within four months. About 32.6 million adults have received their third dose so far – just 73 percent. MPs noted that while nine in 10 adults had had a double jab by the end of May, just 55 per cent of 16 and 17-year-olds had had two doses, falling to 38 per cent of 12- to 15-year-olds. old men. Pregnant women were also reluctant to get vaccinated, with just 58 percent getting two doses. And blacks, black Britons and Pakistanis are less than half as likely to have been boosted by a white Briton. As well as difficulties reaching some ethnic communities, MPs said health chiefs had tried to encourage people with learning disabilities and needle phobias to come forward, noting these groups were “not always treated consistently or adequately”. They called on the NHS and UKHSA to recognize that the reasons for low vaccine uptake will vary and to “urgently assess which approaches are most effective” in getting people to come forward. Health agencies should inform local areas of what works and support them to develop the most effective approaches, including ‘fresh’ ways to tackle persistent low uptake in certain ethnic groups. MPs did not specify which methods should be introduced. But Britons have previously been rewarded with vouchers, such as from ASDA, holiday provider lastminute.com and leisure centres. Free bus tickets were also offered. These methods, as well as an advertising blitz, are believed to have helped increase uptake rates in some groups. Dame Meg said: “The Department and NHS England must build on the initial successes of the vaccine program and redouble efforts to reach unvaccinated people who are at greater risk of being hospitalized or dying as a result of Covid. “Despite the work to date, low vaccination rates persist in many vulnerable groups and new approaches are needed to achieve this. “The Commission recognizes the enormous effort by those who developed, secured and administered our Covid vaccines. The vaccine program made a real difference. In addition to saving lives, it has reduced the ongoing impact of the pandemic. “Importantly, the early success does not mean that the Department and NHS England are taking their eye off the ball in meeting future challenges and getting vaccines to hard-to-reach groups.” The report also calls on the NHS to develop a workforce vaccination strategy by October that allows them to close their vaccine facilities in a cost-effective way, while ensuring they can ramp up production capacity again if needed in the future without relying on ‘burn’ GPs and other NHS practitioners. MPs said the Department of Health should conduct a review to identify lessons learned from the vaccine’s rollout and inform the committee within six months of improvements it will make to other health programs as a result. Health ministers and the vaccine taskforce, which is based at the UKHSA, have also been instructed to review their Covid vaccine procurement strategy to ensure that the UK’s current vaccine deals – which have only been secured with manufacturers of Pfizer and Moderna mRNA plungers – are not “too narrow”. . While health chiefs are confident the two vaccines are best for future booster campaigns, there is “great uncertainty” about the emergence of new variants and which vaccines will be needed in the future, the report said. The vaccine task force, UKHSA and NHS England were also instructed to report to the committee on levels of vaccine wastage amid concerns it is set to increase in 2022, from a “remarkable” five per cent in 2021. The graph shows the number of Covid vaccines distributed in England per day since the launch of the vaccine in December 2020. At the peak of the booster launch in December 2021, more than 900,000 vaccines were delivered in one day. An average of 18,000 people in England have been vaccinated per day in the week to 2 July Around 2.1 million – the equivalent of one in 25 – had the virus in England alone (shown), up from one in 30 the previous week MailOnline analysis shows how the rate of serious illness from Covid has fallen over time. At the start of the pandemic, one per cent of all people infected with the virus (based on the Office for National Statistics infection rate) required mechanical ventilation within two weeks. However, the latest NHS bed occupancy rates show that just 0.015 per cent of those infected are being admitted to an ICU bed – 100 times less than at the start of the pandemic This chart shows the number of deaths directly attributable to Covid recorded in England and Wales. The number of deaths recorded in these nations today is much lower than in previous waves earlier and a very small fraction of those seen in early 2021 “Health chiefs are struggling to estimate demand for the rest of the year, but have consciously adopted a conservative approach to procurement, on the basis that more is better than too little,” the report says. In addition, MPs tasked the Department of Health with drawing up its annual budget in “good time” after it emerged it had no…
