Covid vaccine supply problem 'won't delay progress'

Friday 19 March 2021

Jersey may see fewer vaccine doses delivered throughout April due to issues with the UK's supply chain, the Government has confirmed.

In a statement, it said that while supply continues to be a “limiting" factor, it would be unlikely to impact on the schedule of the Vaccination Programme.

Vaccination Programme Head, Becky Sherrington, explained: “The vaccine supply continues to be our key limiting factor. 

"We may see less doses delivered throughout April and this has been part of our planning, due to vaccine availability from the UK but this will unlikely impact on our schedule, and we remain on track to have opened appointments up to all adults by the end of May.”

The news comes following reports that a batch of AstraZeneca vaccines from the Serum Institute of India to the UK had been held up, and UK Health Minister Matt Hancock confirming that a batch of 1.7m doses had been delayed due to “the need to retest stability."

Pictured: The Government is currently aiming to have all adults vaccinated by September.

News of the supply chain issue came as WHO and the UK and EU's medicine and vaccine regulators confirmed yesterday that they had no concerns about the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

A number of European countries - including France, Germany, Italy, Ireland and the Netherlands - had temporarily suspended their vaccination programmes while reports relating to blood clots were investigated.

Ms Sherrington said yesterday: "The MHRA, who are the UK regulators in medicines and vaccines, as well as the WHO and EMA, have confirmed this afternoon that there are no safety concerns with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, and it should continue to be used. 

“It is clear from medical data that the benefit of the vaccine in protecting people far outweighs the risks presented by not being vaccinated against covid-19."

She also reminded islanders of the Yellow Card Scheme - the MHRA's official way of tracking vaccine side effects and acting on them, if necessary. 

“Significant medical events, especially those that occur following any type of vaccination, are extremely rare. The Yellow Card Scheme is designed to monitor the safety of any medical event in relation to a new drug or vaccine. If any reports to the Yellow Card Scheme suggest a medical event in relation to the vaccine, it will be investigated further as a priority. Jersey is part of this reporting scheme," Ms Sherrington said.

“Throughout extensive vaccination campaigns, it is routine to notify of potential adverse medical events following immunisation, therefore the Yellow card Scheme is key to safety and is in place. This does not necessarily mean that the events are linked to vaccines themselves, but they are investigated as good practice."

It was confirmed earlier this week that islanders under-50 would be able to start getting their vaccines from next month, with 40-49 year olds receiving theirs in early April, and those aged 30-39 years in early May. 

The current aim is for the entire adult population to have received their vaccine by the end of September.

READ MORE...

Q&A: How are vaccine side effects being tracked?