Vaccine rationing; why Yorkshire’s forgotten vulnerable want answers – The Yorkshire Post says

FOR YORKSHIRE’S forgotten vulnerable, they’ve now spent almost a year waiting – and hoping – for a vaccine to protect them, and their loved ones, after the first UK case of Covid was recorded in York.
By YP Comment
Published 21st Jan 2021, 16:45 BST

They’ve done everything asked of them. They’ve respected the lockdowns, they’ve shut themselves away from friends and family and they’ve tried not to burden the NHS.

And while they shared the joy of those they know who have been fortunate to have received their first jab, please spare a thought today for those whose hopes have been cruelly dashed by the apparent decision to ration this area’s weekly allocation of 200,000 jabs by half and divert vaccines to other parts of the UK.

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Just that Yorkshire – and the North East – has been the most effective getting the programme up and running is absolutely no consolation to all those agonising whether they’ve been forgotten or not. It is why The Yorkshire Post is now seeking answers from Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Nadhim Zahawi, the Vaccines Minister, to these five fundamental questions.

Yorkshire's allocation of Covid vaccines appears to have been halved.Yorkshire's allocation of Covid vaccines appears to have been halved.
Yorkshire's allocation of Covid vaccines appears to have been halved.

1. Who authorised this?

2. What is their message to those aged 80 and above who’ve been overlooked?

3. When will the region’s original allocation of vaccines be reinstated?

4. Where did Ministers warn that such decisions might be necessary?

Are Yorkshire's forgotten vulnerab;e now at risk of missing out on Covid vaccines?Are Yorkshire's forgotten vulnerab;e now at risk of missing out on Covid vaccines?
Are Yorkshire's forgotten vulnerab;e now at risk of missing out on Covid vaccines?

5. Why did Ministers decline to be upfront with the public?

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No one disputes the complexity of vaccinating the four most vulnerable groups by February 15, but it makes little sense to slow the progress here when the NHS should be learning from the effectiveness and efficiency of this region, and instructing others to replicate its approach.

One year into the Covid crisis, Ministers now owe it all those eligible people waiting for the date of their first vaccine to explain why their lives have suddenly become less important as a result of this latest decision – because that is how it now appears.

Do you feel you or one of your family members has been forgotten? Let us know. Email: [email protected]

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock.Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock.
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock.

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Related topics:Yorkshire PostYorkshireYorkNHSMatt Hancock

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