Table 1 The COVID-19 vaccination... | Emerald Publishing

Table 1

The COVID-19 vaccination programme – the UK policy context

Date	Policy event
8 December 2020	COVID-19 vaccine rollout began
17 December 2020	Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE, 2021) • Reports evidence of ethnic inequalities in uptake of other national vaccine programmes, and variations by ethnicity in readiness to take up the offer of a COVID-19 vaccine; recommends specific strategies to minimise the risk of lower uptake in minority ethnic populations
30 December 2020	Government's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI, 2020) • Announced the order for vaccination rollout, with clear prioritisation given by age to prevent mortality • First phase comprised four cohorts in order 1. Elderly care home residents and their carers, followed by 2. Over 80 years and frontline health and social care workers 3. Aged 75 and over 4. Aged 70 and over plus clinically extremely vulnerable individuals. JCVI also recommended “flexibility in vaccine deployment at a local level” to mitigate health inequalities in access to healthcare and ethnicity
13 January 2021	UK Vaccines Delivery Plan (Department Of Health And Social Care, 2021b) sets out that NHS England (devolved locally) working with Public Health England will provide vaccinations in • Vaccine centres (large venues – accessed by a national booking system) • Hospital hubs • Local services (e.g. general practices and pharmacies)
15 February 2021	Deadline for the first four cohorts to have been offered a first vaccine dose
February–April 2021	Eligibility for first vaccine dose widened to the following cohorts, in order • Over 65 years • Aged 16–64 at high risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19 because of underlying health conditions • Over 50 years
April 2021	Eligibility for first vaccine dose widened to: 40–49 years and 30–39 years
June 2021	Eligibility for first vaccine dose widened to: 18 years and over

Date	Policy event
8 December 2020	COVID-19 vaccine rollout began
17 December 2020	Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE, 2021) • Reports evidence of ethnic inequalities in uptake of other national vaccine programmes, and variations by ethnicity in readiness to take up the offer of a COVID-19 vaccine; recommends specific strategies to minimise the risk of lower uptake in minority ethnic populations
30 December 2020	Government's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI, 2020)• Announced the order for vaccination rollout, with clear prioritisation given by age to prevent mortality • First phase comprised four cohorts in order 1. Elderly care home residents and their carers, followed by 2. Over 80 years and frontline health and social care workers 3. Aged 75 and over 4. Aged 70 and over plus clinically extremely vulnerable individuals. JCVI also recommended “flexibility in vaccine deployment at a local level” to mitigate health inequalities in access to healthcare and ethnicity
13 January 2021	UK Vaccines Delivery Plan (Department Of Health And Social Care, 2021b) sets out that NHS England (devolved locally) working with Public Health England will provide vaccinations in • Vaccine centres (large venues – accessed by a national booking system) • Hospital hubs • Local services (e.g. general practices and pharmacies)
15 February 2021	Deadline for the first four cohorts to have been offered a first vaccine dose
February–April 2021	Eligibility for first vaccine dose widened to the following cohorts, in order • Over 65 years • Aged 16–64 at high risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19 because of underlying health conditions • Over 50 years
April 2021	Eligibility for first vaccine dose widened to: 40–49 years and 30–39 years
June 2021	Eligibility for first vaccine dose widened to: 18 years and over

Source(s): Department of Health and Social Care (2021b), Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (2020), Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (2021)