Covid-19 vaccine rollout a “success story” but trust in vaccines must be rebuilt
The fourth report from the UK Covid-19 Inquiry has been released.
The UK Covid-19 Inquiry has described the UK’s rollout of vaccinations against Covid-19 as one of the success stories of the pandemic.
This is the fourth report from the inquiry looking at how the UK managed the coronavirus pandemic, focussing on the vaccine rollout.
The report found an effective vaccine was delivered to the public within a year of the first Covid-19 case in January 2020.
Baroness Hallett, chair of the Inquiry said its delivery exceeded targets for population coverage and noted one study which says nearly half a million lives had been saved because of the rate of vaccinations in England and Scotland.
132 million vaccines were given out across the four nations in 2021, making it the largest vaccination program in UK history.
The report notes that new therapeutics that were introduced months into the pandemic being declared also played a role in saving the lives of thousands of covid patients in hospital.
Baroness Hallett said the vaccine program in the UK showed many of its ‘best attributes’ of the UK’s healthcare and scientific research system.
What else did Baroness Hallet highlight about the rollout of Covid vaccines?
She highlighted:
- The rapid development of the AstraZeneca vaccine thanks to the UK’s position as a world leader in biomedical science
- The whole population delivery of the vaccines, with clear prioritisation and effective management in all four countries
- The rapid establishment of specialist taskforces that brought together national expertise.
- The UK Governments ‘at risk’ approach to finding research and development of a wide range of vaccines, despite the knowledge some would not be successful.
- The inquiry found that by July 2021, almost 87% of the adult population in England had received at least one dose of the vaccine. In Scotland and Wales, it was nearly 90% and in Northern Ireland it was 82%.
Baroness Hallett noted that both the dedication of health staff and public resolve to protect those around them helped the vaccine process be so successful.
Criticisms of the Covid vaccine rollout
The report was not wholly without criticism of the vaccine rollout.
The report noted there was a lower intake of the vaccine in communities with greater levels of deprivation and in some ethic minority groups.
Whilst the report noted this disparity was predictable, it also said more targeted action must be taken to communicate with these groups to build confidence in the safety of vaccine programs.
A rise in anti-vaccination concerns
As part of the Covid-19 Inquiry, Baroness Hallett recognised that vaccine hesitancy is on the rise, not just in the UK, but across the world. She said the use of social media was allowing false and misleading information to spread rapidly and that action must be taken now to counter it.
One issue that fuelled mistrust in the vaccine was the issue of safety. Despite to the sheer speed and urgency of the vaccine’s development, the inquiry found the UK Government and regulatory bodies did not compromise on rigorous safety standards.
The vast majority of those who received the vaccine experienced minimal to no side effects, but Baroness Hallett did recognise that there was a small group who suffered serious injury or death. She called on the government to improve the current scheme in place to support those who suffer serious injury from vaccines is not supportive enough and requires urgent reform.
Baroness Hallett said the timing of the pandemic coincided with the outcomes of decades of work and innovation for medical research and the creation of vaccines but warned that the relationships, infrastructure, and expertise that was so successful during the Covid-19 pandemic should not be allowed to wither.
Recommendations made by the Covid-19 inquiry
The inquiry laid out 5 recommendations to ensure the UK can deliver vaccines in the future. These are:
- Establish a pharmaceutical expert advisory panel to oversee preparedness to develop, procure and manufacture vaccines.
- Produced targeted vaccination strategies and communications including working with local networks about campaign and delivery approaches to improve vaccine uptake.
- Improve monitoring and evaluation of vaccine uptake and delivery.
- Facilitating regulatory bodies access to healthcare records.
- Reforming the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme. Baroness Hallet said this must take place as soon as possible with an increase in the minimum payment for those seriously injured by a vaccine.