Romford MP calls for vaccination rollout to be accelerated in Havering.

Romford M.P. Andrew Rosindell has written to Health Secretary Matt Hancock following “concerning” vaccination figures for the East London Health and Care Partnership, which covers the London boroughs of Havering, Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge, Newham, Tower Hamlets, the City, Hackney, and Waltham Forest. 

Mr Rosindell said the Government “deserves to be applauded” for its rollout of the vaccine but has written to the Health Secretary to urge him to publish borough-by-borough statistics to show whether Havering “is getting the number of vaccinations in proportion to its needs.” 

A written question has also been submitted to the Health Secretary on the measures being taken to “ensure that London boroughs such as Havering which have significant elderly and vulnerable populations receive supplies of vaccines proportionate to the number of residents in high priority groups.”

In the East London Health and Care Partnership, of which Havering is a part, 77,117 vaccinations have been administered, as part of plans to vaccinate the top 4 priority groups by mid-February. In London, 376,353 people have received a vaccine, with 426,894 doses administered in total across the area. 

This puts East London behind the other four London NHS subdivisions, with 1 in 26 people in East London vaccinated, compared to 1 in 23 in Northwest London, 1 in 22 in Southeast London, 1 in 18 in North London, and 1 in 16 in southwest London. 

The United Kingdom is leading the way with its vaccination programme. So far, more than 5 million vaccinations have been administered to 4.6 million people – the fourth highest per capita, behind only Bahrain, the UAE and Israel. In addition, only two countries have administered more doses than the United Kingdom – China and the USA.  

The Government’s Vaccines Delivery Plan sets out how it aims to administer 2 million doses of vaccines by the end of January, as well as offering vaccines to every elderly are home resident by the end of the month. So far, more than half of those over 80s and care home residents have received a vaccine.  

Andrew Rosindell M.P. said: 

“The rollout of the vaccination programme has been hugely impressive, and I am proud that the U.K is a world leader. While the EU lags far behind, our efficient, streamlined regulator and good logistical planning meant the U.K had a headstart which has made it the envy of the world. The Government deserves to be applauded for its efforts. 

However, there are significant regional variations. London is the worst performing region, and East London is the worst performing part of London. Just 1 in 26 people in East London have received a vaccination. Given Havering has the highest proportion of over-65s in London this is concerning, and I have raised the matter with the Health Secretary.”