• Question by: Alison Moore
• Meeting date: 04 February 2021

Dr Alison Moore AM: My first question is for Tom Coffey. Phase 1 of the current COVID-19 vaccination programme covers care home residents, for example, and those over 50. Phase 2 covers the rest of the population and the JCVI has said, and I quote, “Vaccination of those at risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 due to their occupation could also be a priority in the next phase”. My first question is: what discussions, if any, has the Mayor had with the Government over whether to prioritise key workers’ COVID-19 vaccination programme and, if so, when should they receive their vaccination?

• Question by: Navin Shah
• Meeting date: 04 February 2021

Navin Shah AM (Chair): Right. My question is on vaccination hesitancy in BAME communities and to start with, I would like to address my question to Dr Coffey. According to the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), only 57% of BAME people would be willing to take a COVID‑19 vaccine in comparison with 79% of white people. In particular, confidence is reportedly lowest amongst black communities, with some reports of 72% not willing to take the vaccine. The spread of the misinformation and conspiracy theories via social media networks can be identified as one of the causes of this. What...

• Question by: Caroline Pidgeon
• Meeting date: 04 February 2021

Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM: I would like to start my questions with Martin [Machray]. I would like to ask you about the take-up of the vaccine amongst blind and visually impaired people. Some serious concerns were raised on the [BBC] Radio 4 In Touch programme last week and have been powerfully highlighted by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) relating to the challenges in accessing information and travelling to get the vaccine. In terms of getting the vaccine, I understand why places like the ExCeL centre are being used for vaccinations, but travelling when blind, at the best...

• Question by: David Kurten
• Meeting date: 04 February 2021

David Kurten AM: I would like to ask, yes, Martin Machray if I could, back to the people who were here before. You refer to the vaccine or the injections that people are being given from Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna as vaccines. However, the substances from Pfizer and Moderna are not vaccines, as people understand vaccines. They are experimental Messenger RNA (mRNA) gene technologies. Why do you continue to refer to those two substances and injections as vaccines?

• Question by: Navin Shah and David Kurten
• Meeting date: 04 February 2021

Navin Shah AM (Chair): Thank you very much. Minister Zahawi, I know this morning already you had a very busy schedule. I have heard you on Leading Britain's Conversation (LBC), we have seen you on Sky [Network] Television (TV) and you are here this morning with us. I cannot thank you enough. May I just on behalf of the Assembly if you can spare another minute, ask you a question of reassurance that we are seeking on behalf of Londoners? That is: is London now receiving its fair share of COVID‑19 vaccinations and can we be confident that it will...

• Question by: Andrew Boff
• Meeting date: 04 February 2021

Andrew Boff AM: Is it important to complete the JCVI priority list as is?

• Question by: Onkar Sahota
• Meeting date: 04 February 2021

Dr Onkar Sahota AM: Minister, thank you for coming and joining us this morning. The success of any vaccination programme relies on the willingness of people to actually have the vaccine. When trust was lost on the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine we knew that the uptake plummeted, and, as you know, we need to get over 80% of the population vaccinated to get herd immunity. You also know that trust is a social contract between two parties, in this case the Government and the people. While the people trust the scientists and the doctors, the Government has often...

• Question by: Leonie Cooper
• Meeting date: 04 February 2021

Léonie Cooper AM: Actually, Chair, sorry, I am just swapping with Dr Sahota because he has a couple of things that will run more smoothly if he takes them both together. Navin Shah AM (Chair): No problem at all. Thank you. Léonie Cooper AM: It is Assembly Member Cooper here. It is good to see you, Alderman Zahawi. I have sat in front of that sign for some time. My concern is, of course, about the new strains because Pollards Hill in Merton is one of the areas. We are obviously getting 10,000 tests done in a very local area...

• Question by: Tony Devenish
• Meeting date: 04 February 2021

Tony Devenish AM: Thank you, Minister, for all the hard work you are doing. I would like to pay tribute to my two London boroughs, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) and Westminster, for all the work they have been doing with you. My question is quite blunt, Minister. Will you work with the Mayor and the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to make sure we prosecute the malicious anti-vaxxer propaganda that we are facing here in London?

• Question by: Lord Bailey of Paddington
• Meeting date: 04 February 2021

Shaun Bailey AM: Good morning, Minister, it is great to see you and thank you for your hard work. The Government has done a lot of work around combatting the spread of fake news, bad information, particularly in ethnic communities. Of course, in my own community I have seen a lot of very fake news being spread around, telling people not to take the vaccine and that it will impact their health negatively. You have done some good work on it. My question is: what more can be done, what other steps does the Government have planned and how can...