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The need to retest more than 1.5 million doses of vaccines, as well as delays in the doses arriving from India, will lead to a “tighter” supply of COVID injections next month, the health secretary said. Matt Hancock to MPs.
The NHS has warned of a “significant reduction” of one month on the weekly supply of vaccines in a letter to local health leaders.
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UK needs to deliver 12 million second doses in April
Explaining the reasons for the reduced number of vaccines in April, Hancock told the House of Commons: “In the last week, a batch of 1.7 million doses was delayed due to the need to retest its stability.
“Events like this are to be expected in a manufacturing effort of this complexity and this demonstrates the rigor of our security controls.
“And we have a delay in the scheduled arrival of the Serum Institute of India.”
The delayed supply from the Serum Institute, amid suggestions of an export blockade by the Indian government, is understood to amount to five million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
The health secretary said that, during April, there are around 12 million people in the UK who require second doses of COVID vaccines.
“These second doses cannot be delayed as they must be given within 12 weeks of the first dose,” he said.
He told MPs that the UK was “right now in the middle of a few extraordinary weeks of supply.”
But he admitted that the vaccine supply in April would be “tighter than this month and we have a lot of second doses to administer.”
The Serum Institute of India will produce 1 billion doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine this year.
The health secretary reiterated that the UK remains on track to offer a first dose of vaccine to all nine major priority groups, including those over 50, by the middle of next month, as well as vaccinate all UK adults at end of July.
“I also want to clear up some rumors that have been circulating and reassure people; there will be no weeks in April without first doses,” he said.
“There will be no appointments canceled as a result of supply problems; second doses will proceed as planned.”
Mr Hancock praised the partnership with the Serum Institute as one of which the UK “can be proud”.
He thanked them for their “amazing work” in producing 1 billion doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine for the UK and the rest of the world this year.
A letter from the NHS to local health leaders across the country warned of a “significant reduction in weekly supply” from March 29 over a four-week period.
He added that “volumes for the first doses will be significantly restricted,” and healthcare providers said that people 49 and younger should only be offered a vaccine in “exceptional circumstances,” such as if they are clinically vulnerable or if they are a front line care worker.
Vaccination centers were asked to close unfulfilled stocks as of March 29 and to ensure that no more appointments are scheduled for the entire month of April.
The Serum Institute has suggested that the Indian government was blocking vaccine exports to the UK.
A spokesperson said: “Five million doses were delivered in the UK a few weeks ago and we will try to deliver more later, depending on the current situation and the requirements of the government’s immunization program in India.”
Analysis: Hancock Gives Vaccine Supply Statement He Should Have Given One Day Before
By Sam Coates, Deputy Political Editor
Health Secretary Matt Hancock today delivered the statement on reducing the supply of vaccines that he should have given at yesterday’s surreal press conference at 5 pm.
Yesterday sidestepped questions about shortages, saying the changes described by the NHS were technical and routine.
Today he is back in more detail: telling the House of Commons that a batch of 1.7 million doses of coronavirus has been delayed due to the need to be retested, while there has been a delay in a scheduled arrival. from the Serum Institute of India.
How serious is this? All government objectives will continue to be met and the roadmap to lift the blockade in England will not be affected.
However, the tone of Mr. Hancock’s intervention, still minimizing the change as “part of the normal management” of the launch and “on track to meet the established objectives”, was very different from that of the NHS, which canceled new appointments. in April and suggested the labor force involved should be reduced.
The mismatch is curious and suggests tensions between the UK Health Department and the NHS; a daunting sign of division.
The full implications of the shortage are not yet completely clear. It depends on how many elements of life this summer will require people to take one or both hits.
If vaccine passports become the norm for holidays and events, it will mean more weeks of waiting to live for those without a vaccine, mainly the young.
