Why has the UK vaccine rollout slowed and which countries have overtaken it?

Published

3 years ago

September 13, 2021

admin

At the start of 2021, the UK coronavirus vaccine rollout was one of the fastest in the world.

While the European Union launched legal action over supply shortfalls and several member states battled widespread vaccine hesitancy, by 20 March, Britain was handing out more than 800,000 doses a day.

But now it has fallen to 13th in the rankings of percentage of population vaccinated, with just 63.8% double jabbed.

And EU countries such as Malta, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, and Belgium have now overtaken, as their rollouts gain momentum and the UK loses pace.

Here Sky News looks at why the UK COVID vaccine rollout appears to have slowed down.

Children not included in UK count so far

The government’s chief medical officers only agreed to start offering the vaccine to all 12 to 15-year-olds on 13 September.

This means that until that rollout begins, a significant part of the population will not appear in vaccination statistics, putting the UK behind other countries who have been immunising schoolchildren such as Portugal and Ireland.

Dr Al Edwards, of the University of Reading’s school of pharmacy, described the concept of the UK’s rollout being ‘behind’ as “artificial”.

“In the UK we started vaccinating the really vulnerable groups first and that has had a really significant effect,” he told Sky News.

“The benefit of vaccination is different for different age groups,” he said.

“So any country that can vaccinate their most vulnerable 30% will have huge benefits because that will help prevent serious disease and death.

“When you get to between 30 and 60% those benefits become marginal.

“And then when you get to around 80%, you are really just arguing about the benefits, because they have significantly diminished.”

Follow the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

Professor Andrew Preston, of the University of Bath’s department of biology and biochemistry, added that avoiding lockdowns and being able to live with the virus matters more than the numbers.

“The end game of the vaccine programme was never to vaccinate 100% of the population, it was to overcome the pandemic”, he told Sky News.

“Vaccinating children will boost the numbers, but it all depends on whether we can move back to a pre-COVID existence or not – whether that’s by vaccinating 20%, 40% or 60% of the population.

“We need to move away from just looking at the percentage vaccinated and instead at what we are actually achieving in terms of this moving towards being an endemic virus in future years.”

Tough restrictions on unvaccinated in Europe and elsewhere

Malta has vaccinated more of its population than any other country.

One of the reasons for this is its tough restrictions on those who are unvaccinated.

Since the beginning of July, people can only remove their face masks in public places if they’ve been double jabbed.

This can be proven by an official Maltese vaccine certificate or the EU ‘digital pass’.

Although France’s vaccine programme is still behind the UK’s, it has caught up significantly since the introduction of its ‘health pass’ in late July.

Its daily vaccination rate almost doubled in the weeks following, with nearly eight million getting their first dose in the first six weeks.

People now have to show a health pass to go to cafes, bars, restaurants, museums and other indoor spaces.

Similar digital passes have been introduced across Europe and beyond and have helped boost vaccination rates.

In the UK however, the government has rejected the idea of vaccine passports apart from in nightclubs and says it will only bring them in more widely if hospitalisations rise this winter.

“Other countries seem quite happy to use a more authoritarian system without batting an eyelid,” Professor Preston said.

“Italy, for example, have their green pass and it seems to be working, but here we have a very vocal minority defending those civil liberties.”

UK vaccine messaging is ‘wearing off’

Vaccine uptake in the UK is still lowest in the under-30s.

Only 48.9% of 18 to 24-year-olds and 51.8% of 25 to 29-year-olds had received two doses in England by 12 September.

Although they were last to be offered a jab, the government promised to have invited everyone over 18 to get their first by mid-July and shortened the gap between first and second from 12 to eight weeks.

Professor Sharifah Sekalala, an expert in public policy and global health at the University of Warwick, says the overall vaccine rollout has suffered from a lack of engagement with young people.

“Because of the way we banded ages at the beginning, and we reopened before they were vaccinated, people of university age feel as though their vaccinations are not as important as others,” she told Sky News.

“There has been very little consultation with them. They don’t see their GPs as much as the rest of the population, so very little community work has been done and we need to do more to address that,” she said.

Professor Sekalala also claims public messaging on the vaccine has slowed down in general, particularly with regards to underprivileged groups.

“If we’re comparing ourselves to Europe, we have massive social inequalities already, so more community work on vaccines is required,” she said.

“But it’s wearing off – it was very strong in the beginning – but now some people just think it’s all done because we’re not talking about it anymore.”

UK

UK weather: Fresh amber warning for rain into New Year’s Day as wind and downpours cancel celebrations

Published

37 mins ago

January 1, 2025

admin

UK weather: Fresh amber warning for rain into New Year's Day as wind and downpours cancel celebrations

A new amber warning for heavy rain has been issued for parts of England this evening, as wet and windy weather elsewhere in the country forced the cancellation of New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Outdoor events planned for 31 December as part of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay will not take place, and events on the 30th were also cancelled.

A spokesperson said events in the city centre of the Scottish capital, including fireworks from the castle, are unable to go ahead “on the grounds of public safety” due to “high winds and inclement weather”.

New Year’s Eve latest:
Follow live updates

Meanwhile, organisers of a planned fireworks display in Blackpool said it has also been cancelled due to the weather.

Visit Blackpool said only the pyrotechnics have been affected, with the rest of the New Year’s Eve Family Party to continue as planned, including free ice skating and a projection light show.

More bad news came on Tuesday evening when the Met Office issued an amber warning for rain over an area from Preston to Bradford. It is in place as of 8.38pm on Tuesday evening until 9am on Wednesday morning.

“Persistent and, at times heavy, rain will continue overnight before clearing southwards on Wednesday morning,” the forecaster said.

“40-50mm rain is expected fairly widely, with 50-100mm across west-facing hills. There is a chance a few locations could see in excess of 100mm.”

Almost every part of the UK is covered by at least one of multiple Met Office weather warnings over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday.

Another fireworks event in Ripon, North Yorkshire, also succumbed to the weather, with the council posting on Facebook that the event planned to take place in the city’s Market Square could not go ahead due to high winds.

While a homemade boat race in Poole in Dorset, a sea dip in Lyme Regis in the same south coast county, as well as fireworks displays on the Isle of Wight and on Newcastle’s Quayside, were all cancelled on Tuesday morning.

Although London’s City Hall had said it was “monitoring the weather”, mayor Sadiq Khan this evening reassured visitors the fireworks would go ahead.

London mayor Sir Sadiq told the PA news agency: “I’m really excited about the London New Year’s Eve fireworks, the biggest fireworks taking place anywhere across Europe.

“Hundreds of thousands of fireworks, great light display but also a great soundtrack tonight as well.”

Rain, wind and snow warnings

Three separate weather warnings currently cover Scotland alone for Tuesday evening, including a yellow warning for “persistent snow” over Shetland and Orkney, a yellow warning for rain and snow in the north, which could bring possible blizzard conditions, especially over high ground in Sutherland and Caithness.

A yellow warning for wind spans from Glasgow to Edinburgh, and the Met Office has warned of possible delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport.

Train operator ScotRail warned its services were being disrupted by speed restrictions due to “very heavy rainfall”.

At least 11 lines have been affected, according to the ScotRail website, and 18 trains were cancelled on Tuesday morning.

Network Rail said it closed the Highland Main Line at Kingussie because of “more extreme rainfall overnight”.

Forecasters say the high winds and rain may also cause flooding, particularly in the Midlands and Pennines, with the Environment Agency urging people to stay away from swollen rivers and avoid driving through floodwater.

In the Highlands, flooding has forced the closure of the A9 at Tomich.

‘Tricky couple of days’

As the clock strikes midnight in the UK, separate warnings for wind and rain are in place for Wednesday.

Strong winds are forecast across much of England and Wales until 3pm on 1 January, with gusts of 75mph likely around coastal areas and hills, according to the Met Office.

The period from Thursday to Saturday is expected to be a “widely cold but sunny few days, with wintry showers mainly confined to coastal areas.

“Northern areas may see patchy rain, sleet and snow move in on Saturday.”.

Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell said: “It will be a tricky couple of days and a wet and windy spell for many up into the new year.

“We’re encouraging anyone who is planning to travel to keep up to date with the weather forecast and news from their local authorities.”

UK

Veteran radio star Johnnie Walker dies aged 79

Published

37 mins ago

January 1, 2025

admin

Veteran radio star Johnnie Walker dies aged 79

Veteran radio DJ Johnnie Walker, who hosted BBC Radio 2’s Sounds Of The 70s and The Rock Show, has died aged 79.

Known for championing artists like Lou Reed, Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles, Walker in October announced he would retire from radio after 58 years.

He had previously been diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a lung condition.

Weeks later, he presented his final Sounds Of The 70s show on BBC Radio 2 and hosted his last episode of The Rock Show as he hung up his headphones due to ill health.

Tiggy Walker, Walker’s wife, said: “I couldn’t be more proud of Johnnie – how he kept broadcasting almost to the end and with what dignity and grace he coped with his debilitating lung disease.

“He remained his charming, humorous self to the end, what a strong, amazing man.”

She added: “And if I may say – what a day to go. He’ll be celebrating New Year’s Eve with a stash of great musicians in heaven.”

Walker’s death was announced on air by his friend and colleague, BBC Radio 2’s Bob Harris, who took over as presenter of Sounds Of The 70s in November.

Harris said: “I first started listening to him on pirate radio and we know what an incredible, wonderful, superb broadcaster he was.

“We also know how passionate he was about his music, went out on a limb many times to defend the music that he loved.”

The BBC’s director general, Tim Davie, said the organisation was “deeply saddened” by the passing of a “pop radio pioneer and a champion of great music”.

“No one loved the audience as much as Johnnie, and we loved him back.”

From fixing cars to hosting Drivetime

Born in Birmingham, he left school aged 15 to train to as a mechanic, later becoming a car salesman.

But his passion for music was already bubbling away, and he picked up a Friday night slot as a disco DJ under the name Peter Dee.

He began his radio career in 1966 on an offshore pirate station, Swinging Radio England.

But it was with Radio Caroline that he became a household name, before joining BBC Radio 1 in 1969.

After a stint in San Francisco, where he recorded a weekly show for Radio Luxembourg, he returned to the UK in the 1980s, working on various BBC stations until landing his own weekly show on Radio 2, and then taking over Drivetime.

He gained a reputation as a DJ who placed more importance on the tracks he played than the chat between them.

Helen Thomas, head of BBC Radio 2, said Walker “loved radio and inspired a generation of presenters, passionately promoting the artists and music he cared about so deeply”.

She called him a “much-loved broadcasting legend” with a “wry sense of humour” and “warm, open style”.

Shaun Keaveny, who took over presenting Radio 2’s The Rock Show from Walker, described him as “a rebel, a soul searcher, and a seeker, a rocker, and a phenomenal broadcaster”.

Walker ‘died’ three times

In October 2003, Walker underwent chemotherapy and an emergency operation for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

He revealed his diagnosis live on air, and later revealed he “died” three times during surgery to repair his burst intestine.

IPF is a condition that scars lungs and makes it increasingly harder to breathe.

The NHS website says it is not clear what causes the condition, and although treatments can slow its impact, there is “currently no treatment that can stop or reverse the scarring of the lungs”.

UK

West Ham striker Michail Antonio thankful for ‘being alive’ after leaving hospital

Published

37 mins ago

January 1, 2025

admin

West Ham striker Michail Antonio thankful for 'being alive' after leaving hospital

West Ham forward Michail Antonio has said he has realised he “took life for granted” but is now thankful just for “being alive”, as he was discharged from hospital after a car crash in early December.

In a heartfelt message on Tuesday evening, he thanked the NHS, the air ambulance, and “everyone from top to bottom at West Ham United FC”.

“Every year around this time, I’m asked what I’m grateful for, and every year I’ve struggled to find the right words,” Antonio said in a post on Instagram, alongside a photo of him on crutches.

“But this year, I know exactly what I’m grateful for: being alive.”

The 34-year-old Jamaica international needed surgery on a lower limb fracture after a one-car incident outside London on 7 December, and his rehabilitation is expected to take quite some time.

But he promised to be “back on that pitch soon” as he wished everyone a happy new year.

The striker said he realised he had spent “so many years taking life for granted”.

“I made plans for the next day, the next year, always assuming tomorrow was guaranteed.

“I’ve seen close friends pass away… and even then, I didn’t fully grasp just how precious life is.

“What I’ve been through recently has opened my eyes. Life is fragile, and every single moment matters. I’m so grateful to God for giving me the strength to keep going and for allowing me to still be here.”

West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui previously described the outcome of the serious accident as a “miracle.”

In the first match after the crash, West Ham players wore “Antonio 9” shirts before kick-off.

The kit was then signed by the players, including Antonio, and auctioned off, generating almost £60,000 for the NHS and Air Ambulances UK Charity.

“Everyone at the club would like to reiterate their heartfelt thanks to the first responders, emergency services, air ambulance staff and the NHS for the incredible support given to Michail in the wake of the accident,” West Ham said in a statement earlier today.