London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025

Five unanswered questions about the vaccine rollout

Five unanswered questions about the vaccine rollout

The government says that 15m people have been vaccinated across the UK.

This means just over one in four adults have had their first dose of vaccine but there are some unanswered questions about the rollout.

1. What is the uptake in minority communities?


It appears that uptake in ethnic minority groups is lower than it is for the population as a whole.

This is despite some minority groups, including Bangladeshi and Pakistanis, facing higher coronavirus death rates than white people.

A survey, carried out by the University of Oxford and the London School for Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, suggested that black people over 80 were almost half as likely to have had the vaccine than white people over 80.

The gaps are smaller for people in their seventies.


This OpenSafely analysis draws data from about 40% of GP practices so, while thorough, it does not capture most people who are vaccinated.

There are official statistics of vaccine uptake which show how many people in each ethnic group have had the vaccine, but they are not broken down by age or location.

Normally we would look at how these compare to the overall size of the population, but we don't have much of an idea of how many people are in each ethnic group.

This is because the last census was done ten years ago.

Public Health England has said that supplying transparent data by ethnicity will "will help to build confidence in the fairness of offer - as will updates on the actions being taken to address inequalities in access or uptake that are identified."

2. How many staff in care homes have been vaccinated?


Care home staff were one of the first groups to be prioritised.

But we do not know how many of England's 1.2m care staff have been vaccinated, because the government does not release these figures.

We also don't have the numbers for the 2m NHS staff in England, another priority group.

In Scotland it is estimated that 91% of staff in care homes for the elderly are vaccinated and 83% in Wales.


The National Care Forum, a body representing not-for-profit care homes across the UK, found that half of the homes for the elderly which were surveyed had had less than 70% of their staff vaccinated.

The survey, which reached around 1,500 care services, showed that the reason for not having the vaccine was split evenly between vaccine hesitancy, lack of access, waiting for an appointment and health reasons.

3. How do we know everyone was "offered" a vaccine?


The government said that the following groups should have been "offered" a vaccine by February 15:

*  Everyone aged 70 and over

*  Care home residents

*  Care and health staff

*  Clinically extremely vulnerable

Boris Johnson said this target has been hit in England, whilst the Welsh government announced it too had "hit this milestone".

An "offer" means you've received an invitation for a vaccine, normally through a phone call, text or letter.

Currently, we have no data on how many people have actively turned down the offer of a vaccine or have ignored their invitation for a jab.

We also don't know how many of the 15m people vaccinated are outside of these priority groups.

These numbers would give a clearer picture on whether the target has been hit, and highlight where vaccine hesitancy is high.


For example, data from OpenSafely shows vaccination uptake is higher in wealthier areas, but it doesn't highlight whether the apparent lower uptake in more deprived areas is down to people refusing a jab, or simply not communicating with the NHS.

The UK Statistics Authority, which regulates the government's use of statistics, requested this information (as well as data on ethnicity and care staff vaccinations) on 20 January.

4. Will we have enough supplies?


While we know the government has ordered enough vaccines overall, we do not know the details of when these will be delivered.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has repeatedly said that supply is the "limiting factor" in the speed of the rollout.


The government expects to have enough supply to give people their second dose within three months, while also ensuring the next priority groups have their first dose.

People who have had their first dose have a considerable about of protection from the virus, but the second dose increases this.

Getting the second dose within three months is not a rigidly set time-frame, says Eleanor Riley, a professor in immunology and infectious disease at the University of Edinburgh.

"The main concern is that if people miss this twelve-week window for the second dose, there is a danger that they fall out of the system and don't get their second dose at all. This would be very worrying, as the second dose is essential for conferring high levels of long-lasting immunity," she says.

Currently, just 4% of people who've had their first dose, have gone on to have their second.

This is because the health service has been focused on delivering the first dose.

5. Who will be vaccinated next?


Currently, the government has a list of nine groups who will be vaccinated before anyone else, including care staff, the clinically vulnerable and anyone over 50.

After that, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) will make suggestions on the next priority groups for the government to consider.


In January, Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi said that it's his "very strong instinct... to say, those who through no fault of their own other than their work, have to come into contact with the virus, should be prioritised".

He listed shopkeepers, teachers and police officers as those who might be prioritised next.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
×