Vaccine cut is huge cause for concern

No-one thought the road to vaccination would be smooth, but we didn’t expect this latest obstacle in the way.

Today it is hard to escape the feeling that our community is being punished for doing too good a job in vaccinating the public. The North East has vaccinated such a high percentage of over-80s compared to other areas that it is decided our medics must have their vaccination supply halved.

The esteemed Health Service Journal reports that, instead of receiving 200,000 doses of the vaccine next week, the North East and Yorkshire will receive just 100,000 doses. Little wonder there is much anger, confusion and frustration at the decision. With fewer doses available, it inevitably means people who could have had this vital jab will now have to wait. That will be particularly upsetting for the under80s who are next in line for vaccination.

Things were going so well. We were well ahead of the game, with figures this week showing 67.1% of people aged 80 and over having received their first dose, the highest rank in the country. But rather than being given the go ahead to continue these impressive results, our medics are being held back while the rest of the country catches up.

Who in authorised this? What is their message to those aged 80 and above who are still to be vaccinated? When will the region’s original allocation of vaccines be reinstated? Where did Government Ministers warn that such decisions might be necessary?

The road was never going to be smooth, but this decision will drive many in our community to distraction. It’s just not good enough.