"It will cost lives": MPs slam Government decision to take vaccine away from South Yorkshire and divert it elsewhere
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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.
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Hide AdThis would amount to a 90 per cent decline in the rate of injections.
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.
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Hide Ad“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.
“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.
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Hide Ad“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.
Sheffield City Region mayor and Barnsley Central MP Dan Jarvis said that Matt Hancock was punishing South Yorkshire’s key workers for their success.
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Hide AdHe 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.”