UK to focus on age, not a role for the next vaccines

London – The next phase of British coronavirus vaccines will be given based on age rather than occupational risk, an advisory group said Friday, raising anger from police and teachers who said they should be given priority.

Speaking at a televised news conference on Friday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the British Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) had chosen to offer the injection based on age “to save most of the life. ”

“This is the quickest and simplest way to get the injection. It is our moral duty to save lives first, and that is what we have done, ”he said.

Britain has vaccinated 19 million people, 35% of adults, with at least one dose and says they plan to end the entire population by the end of July.

It aims to give the first dose to people over 50 and vulnerable groups by mid-April before moving on to those in their 40s, then in their 30s and beyond. at 18, the JCVI announced earlier Friday.

Professor Wei Shen Lim, a member of the committee, said it would be quicker to move through age groups, rather than job risk.

“Following an age-based program will be simple, and simplicity has been one of the cornerstones of the current program in terms of speed and success,” he said.

“Speed ​​is the key here.”

But the decision was taken by the police, who described it as a “disgraceful betrayal of police officers.”

“Their anger is evident, this will not be forgotten,” he tweeted John Apter, national chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents frontline officers.

Teachers were upset as well.

General secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, Geoff Barton, said he was “disappointed that the JCVI had not advised on the prioritization of education staff.”

Schools in England are set to open on March 8, raising fears of increased risks of dispersal.

Government Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Van-Tam said those working in factories, in the hospitality sector or driving taxis were at greater risk from COVID-19 than teachers and “on due to the number of jobs that need to be called on ”establishing Inoculation on where people were working“ would harm the speed of vaccine distribution. ”

“It’s more important to be in the queue and not worry less about where you’re in the queue,” Van-Tam said. “Making that queue move very fast is the key,” he said.

The JCVI has stated that the next phase of inoculations would focus on increasing acceptance among black, Asian and other minority ethnic communities within appropriate age bands, as well as among those who are obese and the those living in deprived areas.

Britain this week issued its coronavirus warning to four from the top tier, as the country looks back on restrictions in the coming months.