Government urged to act as COVID variant spreads

摘要

Pressure was growing on the Government this week to boost vaccination supplies in areas hit by the growing spread of the Indian variant of coronavirus. Anxious directors of public health in some areas of the country want the freedom to be able to vaccinate all ages, starting in areas suffering from fresh outbreaks - often the same places where cases have been stubbornly highest throughout the pandemic. As The MJ went to press, health secretary Matt Hancock confirmed there were 2,323 cases of the Indian variant, with 86 local authority areas having five or more confirmed cases. Amid concerns about rising numbers of cases centred on Bolton, Stockport, Lancashire, Sefton and Blackburn with Darwen, chairman of the Local Government Association, Cllr James Jamieson, said councils needed 'local flexibility to deploy all the tools available,' including more targeted vaccinations.