Vaccine rollout: What we still don’t know

The government says that 16,400,000 people have been vaccinated across the UK. This means just over one in four adults have had their first dose of vaccine, but there are some unanswered questions about the rollout.

What is the uptake in minority communities?

It appears that uptake in ethnic minority groups is lower than it is for the population as a whole. This is despite some minority groups, including Bangladeshi and Pakistanis, facing higher coronavirus death rates than white people. There are official statistics of vaccine uptake which show how many people in each ethnic group have had the vaccine, but they are not broken down by age or location.

How do we know everyone was offered a vaccine?

We have no data on how many people have actively turned down the offer of a vaccine or have ignored their invitation for a jab. We also don’t know how many of the 16.4m people vaccinated are outside of these priority groups. These numbers would give a clearer picture on whether the target has been hit, and highlight where vaccine hesitancy is high.

Who ill be vaccinated next?

The governme has a list of nine groups who will b vaccinated before anyone else, incl ding care staff, the clinically vulnerable and anyone over 50. After that, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) will make suggestions on the next priority groups for the government to consider.

How many staff in care homes have been vaccinated?

Care home staff were one of the first groups to be prioritised. But there are no publicly available statistics of how many of England’s 1.2m care staff have been vaccinated. On February 15, Health Secretary Matt Hancock indicated that around two-thirds of this group had received their first dose, including staff who deliver care in people’s homes.

Will we have enough supplies?

While we know the government has ordered enough vaccines overall, we do not know the details of when these will be delivered. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has repeatedly said that supply is the “limiting factor” in the speed of the rollout. People who have had their first dose have a considerable amount of protection from the virus, but the second dose increases this.