Covid: Vaccine cuts 'must not put Lancashire roll out in jeopardy'

Vaccine supplies in the North West of England will be cut by a third in February

Lancashire's Covid-19 vaccination programme must not put at risk because other areas have "underperformed", a council's chief executive has said.

The NHS has confirmed supplies in North West England will be cut by a third in February to allow areas that have vaccinated fewer residents to catch up.

Lancashire County Council's Angie Ridgwell said the area must not become "a victim of our own success".

The government said vaccines would be distributed equitably across England.

Ms Ridgwell, who chairs the group leading the county's response to the pandemic, said Lancashire's vaccine roll out had been "phenomenal".

She said the county's "significant health inequalities" had been "exacerbated by Covid" and "getting the vaccine out quickly and effectively to those who need it most is the best way for us to ensure that our county can recover".

"It must not be jeopardised because other areas have underperformed," she added.

The NHS has confirmed the weekly supply would be reduced to 200,000 by the second week of February for Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire, Merseyside and South Cumbria.

Referencing the ongoing international row over supplies of the available vaccines, Ms Ridgwell added that the council understood there were "issues around vaccine supply, but that should not translate into providing successful delivery areas... with a proportionately lower supply of vaccine".

But a government spokesperson said it promised "vaccines would be distributed equitably right across the country, ensuring the most vulnerable people in each area are offered the vaccine first - and that is what's happening".

The spokesperson said targeted deliveries are being made to areas where there are more people left to vaccinate in the top-priority groups to ensure they can get vaccinated quickly.

"The vaccine supplies the North West will receive will remain in line with the proportion they've been receiving, and will allow them to cover priority groups 1-4 by 15 February," they added.

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