Hartlepool and East Durham MPs slam reports North East's weekly GP vaccine allocation could be halved next week

The respected Health Service Journal (HSJ) reported on Thursday (January 21) that the number of doses of the vaccine are to be cut from 200,000 to 100,000 in North East and Yorkshire.

It is said to be because these regions are further ahead in the roll out of the jabs.

But Hartlepool MP Mike Hill said our area should not be punished for its success while fellow Labour MP Grahame Morris for Easington said it will risk lives.

Mr Hill said: "If other regions are lagging behind us, then the Government should act to help them. This should in no way impact on our vaccination programme which would effectively punish us for the excellent work the NHS in the North East have been doing with the roll out.

“I have raised this today with public health officials urgently in order to find out the truth of this. I will be working closely colleagues from across the region to fight against any such proposal.”

The Health Service Journal (HSJ) said well placed sources have said there would be around 100,000 doses available next week for GP practices which make up the large majority of current vaccination centres.

That is 100,000 less doses compared to this week.

Related story: More than 1,200 over 80s get Covid jab at Hartlepool town hall three-day clinic

The main reason for the drop is said to be because many people aged over 80 have been vaccinated in the North East and Yorkshire, with GPs moving more quickly on to groups under 80 than other parts of the country.

Across North East and Yorkshire as of January 17, 618,761 people have had first dose of vaccine (320,690 under 80s and 298,071 over 80s). It accounts for 67.1% of over 80s getting first dose, which is the highest in country.

Reacting to the reports, Grahame Morris said: “For the Government to recognise this achievement by redirecting vaccines to let other regions catch up will risk people's lives in my constituency.

“People will be worried about their loved ones whose risk of exposure to Covid will now be extended. This decision is not acceptable, and I will be raising this matter with the Covid Minister when I speak with him tomorrow (Friday).

“The Government needs to be open and honest about the supply and distribution of the vaccine rather than hiding the data and information from the public."

The reported cut in allocation was said to be a source of ‘major frustration’ to primary care workers in the area, after they had set up the capacity to deliver tens of thousands of the jabs.

An NHS England spokesperson said: “All available vaccine doses are being delivered to vaccination sites and every GP-led vaccination site is receiving a delivery this week.

“To ensure all of those people in the top priority groups can get vaccinated quickly, targeted deliveries are being made to areas where there are more people left to vaccinate in the priority cohorts.”

Mike Hill and Grahame Morris are backing the Mail-backed Shot In The Arm campaign calling on the Government to allow pharmacies to deliver the jabs and ensure no one is more than 10 minutes away from a vaccination venue.

A petition has now has more than 80,000 signatures.

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