No first doses of a covid vaccine will be given to the under-50s at the Great Yorkshire Showground in April.
The Spa Surgery in Harrogate posted on its Facebook page there was “reduced vaccine available nationally” and that no first doses will be given.
However, it added that those under-50 would start to be invited for appointments from May onwards depending on supply.
Meanwhile, all second doses will go ahead as normal at the showground.
Read more:
- More than half of Harrogate district population receive covid vaccine
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- North Yorkshire to focus on 47,000 over-50s yet to be vaccinated
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire CCG said:
“In North Yorkshire, a number of practices have now worked through all of their patients who are in the first nine priority groups, as identified by the JCVI.
“The NHS is continuing to support primary care networks to ensure available vaccine is deployed where it is needed in North Yorkshire so that by 15 April, everyone in cohorts 1-9 will have had the opportunity to have had the vaccine. We have been assured by Government there will be enough supply to meet this deadline.
“Anyone aged 50 and over and those with underlying health conditions who has previously turned down the offer of a vaccine but has now changed their mind, can still get vaccinated – they can book online or call 119.
“Supplies of second doses have been secured and will be available at the appropriate time for those who have previously received a first dose. It’s important people attend for their second dose, so they can get the maximum protection offered by the vaccine.”
Some GPs in North Yorkshire have said they will vaccinate people under-50 if there were any spare vaccines.
Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for North Yorkshire CCG, said it would focus on as “maximum coverage as possible” for those who have not been vaccinated in the first nine priority groups.
Ms Bloor said the CCG wanted to improve the uptake for the first nine groups before moving onto the under-50s.
She added that the government had assured the CCG there would be enough supply to vaccinate those aged 18 to 49 by the end of July.
But, a letter from NHS England to GPs in March said there would be a “significant reduction in weekly supply” from March 29.
The letter said:
“The government’s Vaccines Task Force have now notified us that there will be a significant reduction in weekly supply available from manufacturers beginning in the week commencing 29 March, meaning volumes for first doses will be significantly constrained.
“They now currently predict this will continue for a four-week period, as a result of reductions in national inbound vaccines supply.”
It comes as 92,293 first doses have been carried out in the Harrogate district, according to latest NHS England figures.
The figure represents more than half of the district’s overall population.
Across North Yorkshire, 410,000 people have had a first dose and 48,000 have had a second dose.
