NHS warns on ‘significant reduction’ in vaccine supplies

The NHS has warned of a “significant reduction” in supplies of Covid-19 vaccines and ordered a freeze on new vaccination appointments for April that will delay the start of inoculations for the under-50s.

In a letter to staff involved in the vaccination programme, Emily Lawson, NHS chief commercial officer, and Dr Nikki Kanani, medical director for Primary Care, said there would be a “significant reduction in weekly supply available from manufacturers” in the week beginning March 29. This meant “volumes for first doses will be significantly constrained”.

The government’s vaccine task force “currently predict this will continue for a four-week period, as a result of reductions in national inbound vaccines supply”, they added. The need for second doses had doubled from the beginning of April, they noted.

This supply constraint “means vaccination centres and community pharmacy-led local vaccination services should close unfilled bookings from the week commencing 29 March and ensure no further appointments are uploaded to the national booking system or local booking systems from 1 to 30 April”.

Matt Hancock, health secretary, at a Downing Street media briefing on Wednesday afternoon played down the intervention as “a normal operational letter”.

He said “supply is always lumpy” and the government was on course to vaccinate all over-50s by April 15. “These supply schedules have moved up and down throughout this whole rollout and it is absolutely par for the course,” he said.

Asked about the delay to the start of vaccination for under-50s, he said all adult Britons would be vaccinated by the end of July.