Police and teachers feel ‘betrayed’ by rollout

Front-line workers call for vaccine prioritisation but health experts say age is still the biggest risk factor ‘Officers are being spat at, working in hospitals and going into people’s homes. They can’t mitigate risk’

TEACHERS and the police last night accused the Government of betrayal and called for an urgent rethink over plans not to prioritise front-line workers in the next round of vaccinations.

Yesterday, the Joint Committee of

Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) announced that Phase 2 of the rollout would continue by age, with 40-49s next in line followed by the 30-39s and finally the 18-29s.

The JCVI maintains that age is the most important risk factor for Covid and warned that prioritising by occupation risked slowing the vaccination programme and extending the pandemic.

But police and teaching unions argued that keeping front-line workers healthy was crucial to the successful reopening of society.

David Keane, Cheshire police and crime commissioner, has written to Boris Johnson calling for an about-turn, and accusing the Prime Minister of letting down the service.

Across the country, 22 officers and staff have died of the virus.

John Apter, the national chairman of the Police Federation, said there was a “real palpable anger” among officers that their increased risk had been ignored.

“They’re being spat at, coughed at, rolling around on the ground with people, working in hospital environments, going into people’s homes, they can’t mitigate the risk of the virus,” he said.

“All of that means absolutely nothing. This is a very deep and damaging betrayal and it will not be forgotten.”

Teaching unions also criticised the decision, saying teachers were often forced to work in confined, crowded and unventilated classrooms without sufficient protective equipment.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “A sick teacher is a teacher away from class, which will mean further disruption to pupils’ education and could well mean that they may need to be educated from home again.

“I am amazed by the continuing dedication of school teams. The Government has let them down at every turn.”

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, added: “Having insisted that education is a national priority and having announced a ‘big bang’ return to the classroom in England, the Government must now back that up by providing a clear direction that education staff will be prioritised in the next phase of the programme.” Prof Anthony Harnden, deputy chairman of the JCVI Covid-19 vaccine subcommittee, told The Daily Telegraph they had chosen to continue with age bands to simplify the rollout.

“The evidence continues to show that the older you are, the greater your risk of becoming seriously ill or dying from Covid-19,” he said.

“Focusing on occupational groups would be more complex, risking slower vaccine delivery to the population as a whole and leaving some higher-risk individuals unvaccinated for longer.

“Our approach will ensure more people are protected more quickly, including those in occupations at a higher risk of exposure.

“Simple and easy-to-deliver programmes are critical for rapid deployment and high vaccine uptake, which is key to ensuring a quicker route out of the pandemic.”

Nearly 19million people have now been vaccinated with at least one dose in Britain, and the Government is hoping that all adults will have had their first jab by July.

Public Health England said modelling studies had shown that the speed of vaccine deployment was the most important factor in maximising benefits, and targeting occupations would slow down the programme.

Recent evidence shows that teachers are no more likely to be infected with Covid than the general population, although some occupations are at much greater risk, such as transport workers.

Other people at higher risk of hospitalisation include men, those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, those with a BMI over 30, and those living in deprived neighbourhoods.

The JCVI said priority should be given to promoting vaccine uptake in those groups.