Covid-19: Northern Ireland flu vaccine clinics 'frantically cancelled'

GP practices in Northern Ireland are "frantically" cancelling flu vaccine bookings because there is a shortage of supply, according to the British Medical Association (BMA).

On Monday, the Public Health Agency (PHA) revealed the programme would be suspended for under-65s.

It said there was a "worldwide issue" with stock.

Dr Alan Stout, chair of the BMA's NI GP committee, said practices had been given "exceptionally short notice".

"Practices have bent over backwards, have worked overtime to organise clinics in the most important and most difficult time to deliver these," he said.

"It's so, so difficult for practices on the ground trying to do the right thing, trying to get everybody vaccinated, to suddenly be told, effectively on Friday afternoon, that there wasn't going to be enough vaccine available."

NI 'specifically affected'

On Tuesday, the PHA described demand for the vaccine as "phenomenal", but it had "resulted in a temporary pause in the supply of vaccine for eligible people under 65".

The agency said it had ordered 1.04m doses of vaccine for this year's flu season, with more than half a million already distributed.

Some 765,000 doses have been received, it added.

Dr Gerry Waldron from the agency said it was a "regret" that some flu clinics had to be cancelled, however, he sought to reassure people they "will still get the vaccine well in time before we anticipate that flu will be circulating widely in the community".

He also said some of the preventative measures against coronavirus such as hand hygiene and social distancing "will also help protect against flu".

The PHA said it would take "a number of weeks for further vaccine to be delivered and distributed", with a plan in place to reopen ordering in mid-November.

Dr Stout questioned why Northern Ireland is being "specifically affected" at this stage compared to stock levels in Great Britain.

"It may well affect the other countries at a later point or they may be notified later in this week, but we don't know the detail on that either."