To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Professor Van-Tam's comments at a Downing Street press conference on Wednesday 19 May, whether his Department plans to roll out turbo-boosted vaccination across areas that exhibit levels of enduring covid-19 transmission.
This answer is the replacement for a previous holding answer.
Answered on
10 June 2021
We have implemented measures at record pace to get on top of the B1.617.2 variant and control the spread. We have already implemented targeted new activity to accelerate vaccine uptake amongst eligible cohorts in Bolton and Blackburn with Darwen in order to support this move. We are now extending this activity to Bedford, Hounslow, Burnley, Leicester, Kirklees and North Tyneside. The areas chosen for targeted new activity to accelerate vaccine uptake amongst eligible cohorts were chosen on the basis of them being areas with enduring transmission where higher cases have persisted, and vaccination uptake rates are lower.
In order to ensure people across the United Kingdom have the strongest possible protection from the virus at an earlier opportunity, appointments for a second dose of the vaccine has now been brought forward from 12 to 8 weeks for those in cohorts 1-9 who are yet to receive their second dose.