AN NHS trust has cancelled Covid jabs for the elderly just days before Christmas rules are eased.
Patients in areas such as Huddersfield and Dewsbury were set to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech jab at Covid hubs and drive-through centres.
NHS North Kirklees CCG has had to scrap its plans as their measure don’t conform to government guidance.
In West Yorkshire hubs in Huddersfield and Batley opened on Wednesday alongside drive-throughs in Dewsbury and Liversedge.
The sites have said they will have to look at an “alternative approach” to administering the jabs.
It means hundreds of vulnerable residents in West Yorkshire will be left with out a jab before mixing, with in many cases, multi generational households this Christmas.
Up to three households will be able to form a “Christmas bubble” and meet between 23 and 27 December.
It comes after GPs were told to use extra doses of the vaccine after it emerged this week that vial contains extra shots of the jab.
In a webinar with NHS England, doctors were told to use an extra dosage at “their discretion”.
Every vial of the vaccine is enough for five doses.
But before it is diluted each one holds enough for seven and a half doses.
It’s unknown whether the higher dosage will provide an immunity boost – but residents in West Yorkshire won’t yet be able to feel the effects until North Kirkless CCG is about to solve the problem around logistics.
YorkshireLive reported that NHS North Kirklees CCG had been forced to apologise to patients in the area who will no longer be receiving the jab.
In a statement the group said that it would have to postpone the rollout.
It said: “Following on from the opening of vaccination centres in Huddersfield and Batley earlier this week, we had hoped to be able to offer the vaccine from drive-through centres in Liversedge and Dewsbury.
“The requirements for delivering the vaccine are extremely complex and changing as new information emerges.
“To meet the latest guidance we need look at an alternative approach in these areas and regretfully have had to postpone the original appointments.
“We understand this will be disappointing for patients and we apologise for this and any inconvenience caused.
“It is obviously important that the vaccine is delivered in the best way for patients and we’re doing all we can to make alternative arrangements and rearrange these appointments as soon as we possibly can.”
FIRST IN LINE
Vaccinations booked in over the weekend and for Monday have now been postponed and there are not yet any details as to when patients will be provided with a new slot.
The first roll out of the jabs is based on advice from he national Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
Advise from the group states that the over 80s will be first in line for the jab as well as care home staff and workers.
Last week the first round of patients started to receive their jabs.
Experts have previously hailed the vaccine but warned that Brits need to continue to follow the rules as the jabs are rolled out across the country.
Despite the roll out some GPs in England have decided to opt out of the Pfizer jab rollout reportedly due to workload issues.
The NHS guidance says those not taking part in the roll out will have to work with local health chiefs to ensure patients still have access to the vaccine.
t is understood that if a person’s local GP practice is not delivering coronavirus vaccines they will be able to get the jab at other locations such as hospital hubs and at pharmacies from the end of January.
The Royal College of GPs described the vaccine rollout as an “enormous challenge” in the context of the work doctors are already doing amid the pandemic, which includes an expanded winter flu jab programme.
The organisation said while there has been an “excellent response” from many practices, it understands why some “have felt like they cannot sign up”.
