Number of UK Covid vaccinations falls by a third as vaccine supply dips – The Guardian

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On Sunday the number of vaccinations was 141,719, the least expensive figure given that the UK day-to-day count started on

10 January. Taken together, the total for the past 2 days is 35 % lower than the comparable figures last week. Matt Hancock, the health secretary, stated in a radio interview the country could anticipate” a quieter week today”for vaccinations due to the fact that of supply pressure but that the rollout would recuperate next month. “We’re going to have some actually bumper weeks in March.”

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s very first minister, also said in her everyday press instruction that there had been “a temporary dip”, but included there were other aspects at play to suggest that UK vaccine stocks had actually been minimized.

Other factors for the downturn, the very first minister said, included “the higher than anticipated uptake so far, and likewise the requirement to reserve stock so that 2nd dosages can be provided to people who got their first dosage in December”.

UK ministers have consistently said they anticipate materials to be uneven, particularly while Pfizer reduces production at its European plant in Belgium during February to increase the amount it can make in March. AstraZeneca has promised to produce approximately 2m doses a week, however it acknowledges its production can be bumpy.

Modelling documents launched by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) on Monday also appear to suggest that the UK could speed up its pace of inoculation towards the end of March.

A file from Sage’s modelling subcommittee produced previously this month suggests that vaccinations might potentially be performed at the rate of 4m a week from 22 March based on scenarios “commissioned by Cabinet Office”– although a 2nd, more conservative forecast, suggests 4m a week might be struck by 25 April.