London and Covid-19 Restrictions (Supplementary) [7]

Martin Machray (Joint Regional Chief Nurse and COVID-19 Incident Director, NHS London):  Thank you, Assembly Member.  I am certainly confident we have the resources to give every drop of vaccine that we get.  We are clear about how much vaccine we will get every week between now and the middle of February [2021] for that first challenge that the Prime Minister set the nation around those top four groups.  I am confident we have that.  I am also confident that if more vaccine came into the city, we would be ready to give that, but we can only give what we have [available] to give.

The reason why, as you alluded to, we have given so far less per head of population is because we are the most densely populated bit of the city.  The primary care network, which is our major route for delivering the vaccine at present with over 100 operating now across the city, represents, even in small geographical patches, large numbers of people, but the supply is a national supply into each primary care group on a fair share basis.  Per head of population, we not getting quite as much vaccine as maybe more rural parts of the country.

However, that will change because there is already a change to the supply chain so that we get more to make sure we hit those top ones by the middle of February.  I am confident we have the resources in place as long as that supply keeps coming.

Joanne McCartney AM:  Thank you.  There have also been reports that particularly the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has refrigeration issues and, if people do not turn up, some of it is not being used.  Is that the case and, if so, what can you to do mediate against that risk?

Martin Machray (Joint Regional Chief Nurse and COVID-19 Incident Director, NHS London):  Thank you.  Very quickly, there are two types of vaccine that we are using in London today.  One is Pfizer/BioNTech and the other one is AstraZeneca.  The AstraZeneca one is more recently available to us and can be kept for a reasonable length of time - weeks - at between 2 and 8 degrees [Celsius] in a normal fridge.  We have special drug fridges.  Unfortunately, the Pfizer/BioNTech one is far more constrained.  Whilst it is frozen, it must be kept at -75 degrees Celsius and then, once it is thawed out, has a shelf life of between three and a half and five days.  We are absolutely committed to giving every single dose we possibly can and making sure that if people do not turn up for appointments, we have other people lined up to come in and get that drug because we cannot waste a drop.  This is so special and so important to us.

As of last Tuesday - I will get my figures later on today - we have given over 120,000 doses in London and we have wasted a miniscule amount of leftover doses.  Most of that is not because people did not turn up for their doses.  People are coming forward and I am so grateful they are.

Joanne McCartney AM:  Thank you.  There has been concern that the new variants, the South African variant and the one identified in the UK, may have some issues with the vaccination.  The Health Secretary said yesterday that it looked like the UK variant would be affected by the vaccine, but when will we know about the South African variant?

Martin Machray (Joint Regional Chief Nurse and COVID-19 Incident Director, NHS London):  I will have to defer to experts for that, I am afraid.  What we are told is that the vaccine remains effective for the strains of COVID that are in the city today and, on that basis, we will continue to have that conversation with individuals that this is effective.  Until we know more of the science and until we know otherwise, we will continue delivering the vaccine.

Joanne McCartney AM:  Thank you.  My last question is for either Fiona Twycross or John Barradell and is picking up on not just hesitancy in taking vaccines, but also malicious people promoting conspiracy theories about the vaccines which are not based on science, but to which vulnerable people might be susceptible.  Can I ask what you are doing to counter that and also what role you have or local authorities have in working with the health sector to make sure people do attend for their vaccines?

Dr Fiona Twycross AM (Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience):  Thank you.  I agree with the Assembly Member that vaccine hesitancy is very different from antivax propaganda.  Vaccine hesitancy is usually the result of a lack of information, which Martin Machray spoke about earlier.

When tackling vaccine hesitancy, the GLA along with local authorities and the NHS has formulated a multipronged approach using the influence of communications and the trust of local leaders.  Local leaders can be community leaders, religious leaders or GPs, who are also leaders within their communities.  We are working at pace with the GLA and local authority communications teams to get information out to the community.  This includes - and has to include - culturally competent and translated messages using faith groups and leaders.  It also means understanding the data and analysing that point earlier about making sure we know who is getting the vaccine and who is not.  Vaccine hesitancy is definitely highest among certain black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) and faith communities, and a disproportionate acceptance of the vaccine among these groups may exacerbate existing inequalities that are being established within the pandemic and within the response generally.

What the Mayor and I have been doing as well is working with partners through the SCG and with partners across the VCS as well as with the SCG’s Faith, Voluntary, Communities and Funders Subgroup and the Communications Subgroup to ensure that we are able to and do communicate effectively within these communities.  This is one of the most important things we can be working on at the moment because, clearly, we can see that the uptake of the vaccine and the rollout of the vaccine is one of the major things we need to be done effectively in order to get out of where we are at this most dangerous stage of the epidemic.

Joanne McCartney AM:  Thank you, Chair.

Navin Shah AM (Chair):  Assembly Member Hall, your supplementary, please.