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BAME and frontline workers ‘not vaccine priority’ in next phase of rollout
A person gets the coronavirus vaccine, at a vaccination centre in Westfield Stratford City shopping centre
(Reuters)Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups (BAME) and frontline workers will not be prioritised for vaccinations in the next stage of the rollout, it has been reported.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is poised to reject vaccine prioritisation by occupation or race, and vaccines would proceed down the age bands of adults to 18-year-olds, the newspaper said, citing a government source.
The committee updated its advice on Wednesday to recommend that people with learning disabilities be invited for vaccination to ensure people at higher risk of the disease are protected as soon as possible, according to the Guardian.
“This is ultimately about who is most likely to get seriously ill and die from this disease, and when you put it like that the public do understand that has to the priority,” the source told the paper.
It came as Radio DJ Jo Whiley revealed her sister Frances is at home and “doing great” after contracting Covid-19. Whiley said she could not be more delighted at the news that all adults on the Learning Disability Register will be invited to get a coronavirus vaccine.
“This is a great day – I am so relieved, I’m so happy for all those people who’ve been living in fear,” she said.
Whiley later said on Instagram that her sister “nearly died” because of coronavirus, adding: “We’ve been lucky and my heart breaks for those who’ve lost their precious sons, daughters, siblings and friends but I hope from this day forward there will be many more saved due to this new ruling.”
Earlier, Professor Anthony Harnden, from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), told MPs there was no strong scientific argument to vaccinate teachers next on the priority list. He said current data did not suggest teachers were any more at risk of being infected than any other member of the population.
The JCVI has decided the priority list for phase two of the vaccination programme and has sent it to ministers, he added.
Prof Harnden also said that if vaccines are proven to reduce transmission, and older children were also found to transmit more infections, then it might be a “potential strategy” to vaccinate this group in the future.
He added: “We have to demonstrate safety. We cannot start immunising children for indirect protection of adults – which is what we’ll be doing because we know it’s a much more benign illness in childhood – from an ethical, scientific, any other perspective, until we’re absolutely sure that they’re safe.”
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