Brexit threatens to interfere with mass vaccination in the UK

The United Kingdom finalizes preparations for the mass vaccination of its population, starting next Tuesday, amid growing fears that the disruption created by the Brexi seriously hamper plans in the coming weeks. Faced with the anticipation of a collapse in customs, the Ministry of Defense has even planned the transportation in military aircraft of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine from Belgium to British ports, as revealed The Observer.

Those over 80 and the pers

the residence hall will finally have priority when receiving the first

they have reached the British Isles via the Eurotnel. Queen Elizabeth II (94) and her husband Philip of Edinburgh (99) will receive the vaccine in the coming weeks and will contribute in their own way to the campaign to sensitize the British population.

, although the proportion drops to 20% if the Government recommends it. However, 65% acknowledge their intention to get vaccinated “in any circumstance”, according to an Opinium poll that detects a growing optimism in the British population about the possibility of defeating the virus (and despite the fact that it is still the European country with more deaths caused by the pandemic, 61,014). These are in any case the key points of the operation that

Among the criticisms, which do not stop, for the speed with which it received the approval of the British Medicines Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the urgency of the preparations:

Brexit and Covid

The vaccine will begin to be administered the same day that it will foreseeably be known whether or not there is a trade agreement with the European Union after Brexit. The Cabinet Office, focused on the preparations for the preparation of a “no deal”, may be overwhelmed if in the end there is a brave rupture. One way or another, truck lines in Calais and Dover seem inevitable and can seriously delay the arrival of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine. “The logistical challenges are enormous and there is a risk of a collision between the two crises,” he warns in

The Observer

Sam Lowe, an analyst at the Center for European Reform. The Department of Health and the Ministry of Defense have worked together on the possibility of a contingency plan starting on January 1, when the Brexit transition period ends, to ensure that vaccines reach ports, if necessary in advance. military aircrafts.

The awareness campaign

The Royal Family will actively participate – and lead by example – in the campaign to convince the British of the need for mass vaccination, as advanced

The Mail on Sunday.

Prince William and Kate Middleton, especially active during the Covid crisis, are actually embarking this week on a train tour of the country (although they will not receive the vaccine for several months). The British Government relies on the support of personalities and celebrities, such as the naturalist David Attenborough or the actress Judi Dench.

The first phase

After announcing that medical personnel would have the highest priority, the British Government swerved over the weekend. The first in line will be those over 80 years of age in the residences and their caregivers. Then the doctors, nurses and personnel of the National Health System (NHS) will come in the front line against Covid. The age will be lowered to the British of 75 years, of 70 years and patients

“clinically vulnerable”

. The first phase will conclude on a date, not yet established, with the preferential vaccination of those over 50 years of age.

The second phase

The vaccination will begin Tuesday in 50 hospitals across the country, and the first doses will arrive on December 14 at other medical facilities. The characteristics of the Pfixer / BioNTech vaccine (which requires to be stored at 70 degrees below zero and loses effectiveness with transfers) limits the radius of action and forces us to wait for the supply of the other six vaccines pre-purchased by the British Government to extend the campaign to 1,500 immunization centers. Conference centers and even stadiums could be enabled in this second phase, in which the administration of vaccines would be accelerated with the assistance of dozens of volunteers and paramedics who will undergo special preparation courses.

The future of restrictions

British medical authorities have warned that the administration of the vaccines will have “a marginal impact” during the winter, in which a possible third wave of Covid is also expected after the lifting of restrictions during Christmas. The massive influx of Britons to the shopping malls and the crowds outside Harrods this weekend, which forced the intervention of the police, herald the inevitable. Experts predict that the real effect of vaccinations and the lifting of restrictions will not occur until the end of March.