It has now been announced, after the third vaccine Moderna was approved for use last week, that NHS Trusts have been instructed to rapidly vaccinate all frontline health and social care workers against COVID-19 – including all temporary and locum healthcare professionals.
Whilst all NHS staff will now be vaccinated, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommend priority should be given to:
- individuals at high risk of acquiring infection
- anyone at high individual risk of developing serious disease
- those at risk of transmitting infection to multiple vulnerable persons or other staff in a healthcare environment
- local risk assessments, which will consider factors such as face-to-face contact time, underlying health conditions and whether people are from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, all of which are proven risk factors.
As early as mid-January, all NHS Trusts will have formed ‘hospital hubs’ where vaccinations can take place, a critical component in ensuring all healthcare staff can be protected and kept safe from the spread of coronavirus.
Chief Nursing Officer for NHS England, Ruth May, said: “This is the biggest vaccination programme in NHS history and as we move to the next phase of the rollout, it is only right that we prioritise the NHS staff who have been on the frontline of this global pandemic.
“We will be prioritising the nurses, doctors and other frontline staff who continue to work tirelessly, before administering the vaccine to almost all health and social care staff by mid-February.”
For further information about NHS staff vaccinations, please visit here.
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