The head of the NHS in England has said news of the approval of the first Covid-19 vaccine needs to be “tempered with realism”.
Sir Simon Stevens, chief executive of the NHS in England, set out more detail about the rollout of the newly-approved vaccine during a Downing Street press briefing.
– Sir Simon said the first people to receive the jab from 50 hospital hubs next week would be the over-80s, care home staff and others identified by the JCVI who may already have a hospital appointment.
– As more vaccine becomes available, possibly in the new year, this will be extended out to the other risk groups.
– The vaccine will also then be rolled out to groups of GP practices operating local vaccination centres, with more GP-led clinics opening up as more vaccine becomes available.
– When even more vaccine becomes available, the NHS will be able to “switch on” mass vaccination centres..
– The bulk of the programme for the at-risk population is likely to take place between January and April.
– Sir Simon stressed that the NHS would contact people when it was ready to vaccinate them.
– Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was hoped the vaccine would get into care homes “as soon as possible” but he said that the regulator – the MHRA – had “not yet authorised” the division of the trays of doses, implying that once the doses can be split into smaller groups, the vaccine can be distributed to care homes.
