Millions reserved to deliver vaccine as soon as possible

Wednesday 18 November 2020

£5m has been set aside to fund a mass vaccination programme, as part of the £17m "allowance" in the 2021 budget to deal with the ongoing impact of the pandemic.

The UK has developed a "large vaccine portfolio", but without more data about their safety and efficacy, it is currently unknown what vaccine will be made available to the Bailiwick, and when.

Because of this, exact details of the vaccination programme, including who will be considered a ‘priority’ for vaccination, have not yet been finalised. However, the States is preparing for the height of the programme to involve 15 vaccinators delivering roughly 675 vaccinations a day.

While there is "significant evidence" that age has a profound effect of someone's risk, final decisions about who will be prioritised can only be made once it is known which vaccine the Bailiwick will be receiving. 

"It's also not clear whether the vaccine would be offered to all age groups within those risk groups or not," explained Director of Public Health Dr Nicola Brink during the most recent media briefing.

Pictured: numerous covid vaccines are currently in development at various stages across the globe; Guernsey's plans for a vaccination programme can only be finalised once it is clear which one we will receive, and exactly how it works.

"These are the uncertainties that we're dealing with, and we're sharing as much information as we have."

The £5m figure is "highly uncertain and subject to change" according to P&R, but the £17m set aside for covid-related expenditure is considered to be "reasonable".

Concerns have been raised about storage for the vaccine; the BioNTech vaccine, for example, is an mRNA vaccine that needs to be stored at temperatures of around -80. However, according to Dr Brink, appropriate storage units have already been procured due to the "high likelihood" that the available vaccine will be an mRNA vaccine.

A government spokesperson said that there has been "no indication" that islanders will have to pay for the vaccine. 

Further to the £5m allocation for a vaccination programme, another £5m has been set aside for continuation of business support for the sectors most impacted by the pandemic. In August, the States pledged £6.5 million in similar support between October 2020 and March 2021, but some hoteliers have suggested that such support was not enough to see them through the rest of the year.

Click HERE to read more about the 2021 States of Guernsey budget.