The health secretary said efforts are being made to ensure care home residents receive the coronavirus vaccine “as soon as possible”, as dozens of hospital hubs prepare for the start of the biggest immunisation programme in history.
People aged 80 and over, as well as care home workers, will be first to receive the Covid-19 vaccine – typically delivered by an injection in the shoulder – along with NHS workers who are at higher risk.
But there is still no guaranteed date for when care home residents will be vaccinated despite them being at the top of the priority list, with Matt Hancock saying there are “significant challenges”.
Logistical issues mean there are difficulties in getting the jab to residents, as the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine needs to be stored at minus 70C before being thawed out and can only be moved four times within that cold chain before being used.
Hancock said: “This coming week will be an historic moment as we begin vaccination against Covid-19.
“We are prioritising the most vulnerable first, and over-80s, care home staff and NHS colleagues will all be among the first to receive the vaccines.
“We are doing everything we can to make sure we can overcome significant challenges to vaccinate care home residents as soon as possible too.
“I urge everybody to play their part to suppress this virus and follow the local restrictions to protect the NHS while they carry out this crucial work.”
NHS England said NHS staff were working through the weekend to prepare for the launch of the programme with the first vaccinations happening from Tuesday.
There are 50 hubs in the first wave, with more hospitals starting to vaccinate over the coming weeks and months as the programme ramps up.
NHS England have now officially confirmed the first 50 hubs, listed in full here:
- Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
- Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- East Suffolk And North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
- North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust
- James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Norfolk And Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust
- Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
- Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
- Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
- St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
- Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- University Hospitals Coventry And Warwickshire NHS Trust
- Royal Stoke Hospital
- Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust
- University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust
- United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust
- Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Shrewsbury And Telford Hospital NHS Trust
- Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- South Tees NHS Trust
- Wirral University Teaching Hospital
- Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust
- Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
- Blackpool Teaching Hospital
- Lancashire Teaching Hospital Trust
- Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust - Wexham Park Hospital
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- East Kent Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – William Harvey Hospital
- Brighton And Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust - Royal Sussex County Hospital
- Portsmouth University Hospitals Trust
- Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
- Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
- University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
- Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- North Bristol NHS Trust
Patients aged 80 and above who are already attending hospital as an outpatient, and those who are being discharged home after a hospital stay, will be among the first to receive the life-saving jab, health officials said.
Hospitals will also begin inviting over-80s in for a jab and work with care home providers to book their staff in to vaccination clinics.
Any appointments not used for these groups will be used for healthcare workers who are at highest risk of serious illness from the virus.
All those vaccinated will need a booster jab 21 days later. GPs and other primary care staff are also being put on standby to start delivering the jab.
A small number of GP-led primary care networks will begin doing so during the week beginning December 14, with more than 1,000 practices across the country expected to join on a phased basis during December and in the coming months.
More vaccination centres treating large numbers of patients in sporting venues and conference centres will subsequently take part when further supplies of vaccine come on stream, officials said.
Plans published by the Department of Health and Social Care reveal the complex logistical challenges surrounding the delivery of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
The vaccine itself must be stores at extremely cold temperatures, which means defrosting the vaccine takes several hours, with additional time required to prepare the vaccine for administering.
Vaccine hubs only have a relatively short timeframe in which to administer doses of the vaccine, further complicating the vast programme of immunisation.
Professor Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: “Despite the huge complexities, hospitals will kickstart the first phase of the largest scale vaccination campaign in our country’s history from Tuesday.
“The first tranche of vaccine deliveries will be landing at hospitals by Monday in readiness.
“The NHS has a strong record of delivering large scale vaccination programmes – from the flu jab, HPV vaccine and lifesaving MMR jabs – hardworking staff will once again rise to the challenge to protect the most vulnerable people from this awful disease.”