Thank you for contacting me about the second phase of COVID-19 vaccinations.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that the priority for the vaccination programme should be the prevention of mortality and the protection of health and social care staff and systems. As the risk of mortality from COVID-19 increases with age, prioritisation is primarily based on age.
I am delighted that the Government reached the goal of offering a vaccine to priority groups 1-4, over 15 million people, by 15 February. These groups have, so far, accounted for 88 per cent of COVID-19 fatalities, so this achievement is a significant step.
The initial priority list includes everyone over the age of 50, and anybody in a risk group over the age of 16, which captures almost all preventable deaths from COVID-19, including those associated with occupational exposure to infection. The Government's target is to vaccinate all those in the initial phase by the 15th April.
I agree with you that school staff play a critical role and I know you may be disappointed to learn that this second phase of vaccinations will not incorporate occupational priority.
You will be reassured to know that the evidence so far from a range of sources both here (for example, from the Office for National Statistics) and abroad clearly indicates that school staff are at no more risk of contracting Covid 19 than other working age adults. Professor Van Tam stated that it is 'not clear' that teachers get Covid19 from children or each other: 'They could pick it up in their own lives outside of school.' He went on: 'Is there a clear signal in the data of a markedly increased rate of infection or mortality in teachers? No.'
This link to Sky News is helpful as is this one to the ONS.
Foster Carers: I understand your concerns about prioritising foster carers and I am assured that a strategy based on age group is the most rapid way to deploy the vaccine and to increase public health benefits against severe outcomes from Covid-19.
The Government asked JCVI to provide advice on the best approach to further reduce mortality, morbidity, and hospitalisations from COVID-19 in the next phase of the vaccine programme. As part of this work, they considered three main approaches: providing direct protection to those at higher risk of serious disease and hospitalisation, including groups associated with increased risk; targeting vaccination to reduce transmission in the population; and vaccinating occupational groups at higher risk of exposure.
Rapid vaccine deployment is the most important way of increasing public health benefits against severe outcomes from COVID-19. As such, a strategy aimed primarily at reducing transmission would take longer to achieve reductions in hospitalisations and would require very high vaccine uptake. Further, a strategy centred specifically on occupational groups would be more complex to deliver and may require new vaccine deployment structures which would slow down vaccine delivery to the population as a whole, leaving some individuals unvaccinated for longer. I understand that simple and easy to deliver programmes are critical for rapid deployment and high vaccine uptake. As a result, JCVI has recommended that the vaccine programme proceed on the basis of age groups, with those aged 40 - 49 invited first once the initial priority phase has been completed.
I understand that unvaccinated individuals with an increase risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 as a result of their occupation, sex, obesity, or ethnic background, are likely to be vaccinated most quickly as a result of a simple vaccine strategy.
I will of course continue to work with my colleagues in Government to ensure that vaccines are provided as swiftly and safely as possible, and I firmly support the Government's target to expand the programme so that all adults can be vaccinated by the end of July.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Craig Whittaker MP
March 2021