Some vaccine appointments cancelled in Blackpool as jabs 'weren't delivered when they were supposed to be'

An unspecified number of Covid-19 vaccination appointments across Blackpool have been cancelled, with one NHS worker saying jabs failed to arrive on the Fylde coast.
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Health bosses admitted there had been "complex logistical challenges" but did not elaborate - simply saying they will be "rescheduling the appointments as soon as we are able to do so".

Maureen Boardmore said her mum-in-law, 94, was due to have her first of two Pfizer/BioNTech injections at the Whitegate Drive Health Centre before having her appointment axed because "they have run out of the vaccine".

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After Maureen posted to Facebook, a number of residents reported similar experiences, with a worker at the Marton Medical Practice, which is based in Whitegate Drive and is offering the jabs, responding: "Any vaccines that have been cancelled this weekend is due to them not being delivered to us when they were supposed to [be].

Terry Best, 100, became the first person in Wyre to have his first Covid-19 vaccine jab on Monday (Picture: Fylde Coast CCGs/Twitter)Terry Best, 100, became the first person in Wyre to have his first Covid-19 vaccine jab on Monday (Picture: Fylde Coast CCGs/Twitter)
Terry Best, 100, became the first person in Wyre to have his first Covid-19 vaccine jab on Monday (Picture: Fylde Coast CCGs/Twitter)

"Also, the reason we can't book any appointments at the moment is due to the deliveries being messed up and [we are] unsure when they will actually be delivered."

Rosita Gildea said she was due to have the jab before her appointment was cancelled, and said she was told it was "beyond their control as they have had no deliveries".

Sam Thewlis said both her parents were due to be vaccinated this weekend but had their slots axed, while Denise Hornsby said her parents were affected too.

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All of those affected have been contacted, and those with appointments who have not had a call should still attend.

It comes after the Government was urged to speed up delivery of the vaccine amid growing concerns over the new Covid variant, which health bosses believe is behind a surge in cases across Lancashire.

The Guardian reported "more than half" of hospital trusts and two-thirds of GPs are yet to receive their vaccine supplies as the highly transmissible mutant strain continues to spread throughout the UK, with confirmed cases also identified in Wales and Scotland.

Dr Richard Vautrey, chairman of the British Medical Association’s GP committee, warned lives would be lost if delivery of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is not accelerated.

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He said: “We need millions of doses to be made available as soon as possible – urgently – because it’s the number one priority for GP practices, our patients and the nation, especially given the new mutant strain.

“GPs who haven’t got it yet are frustrated because they want to be getting on and vaccinating their patients as well.”

The sentiment was echoed by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who wrote in a letter to the Prime Minister the vaccine needed to be rolled out “as quickly as possible”.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday more than half a million Britons had already received their first dose of the two-part vaccine.

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Around 12,000 people have received their first doses in Lancashire, where there are 19 sites in action, The Gazette reported yesterday.

Overall, the UK has ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer jab – enough to vaccinate 20 million people.

But amid disruption at British ports caused by countries implementing travel bans over the Covid variant, the Royal College of GPs has called for the Government to be more transparent with vaccine supply numbers.

Chairman Professor Martin Marshall said: “Now we need information about the supply we already have in the country, and about when future supply is expected to arrive.”

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A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman told the paper the Government has “sufficient” doses to maintain the vaccination programme, and it is “working closely with Pfizer to ensure vaccines keep arriving into the UK”.

A NHS Fylde and Wyre CCG spokesperson said: “This the largest vaccination programme in the history of the NHS with complex logistical challenges and we have already vaccinated thousands of people in our local area and will be rescheduling the appointments as soon as we are able to do so.”

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