-
UK vaccine minister vows 'massive uplift' in number of jabs this week

Nadhim Zahawi says ‘absolute focus’ is to get 13.9 million people inoculated by mid-February
The UK vaccine minister, Nadhim Zahawi, has pledged a “massive uplift” in the number of coronavirus vaccinations carried out this week as he said reaching the government’s target of 13.9m jabs offered by February would be “challenging”.
Zahawi, the minister responsible for the vaccine rollout, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “My absolute focus is to get to 13.9 million … offered a vaccine by the middle of February, that is my target and I’m confident the NHS has a plan and we will meet that target.”
He said a quarter of over-80s had already been vaccinated. And he added: “Your listeners will see the number
But he refused to specify when the government would reach the 300,000 vaccinations a day that would be required to meet that goal, saying that “the target is big enough and tough enough as it is”.
The government was under pressure on Wednesday to set out the detail of its plans to escalate the vaccination programme, but faced accusations that it had ignored an “army” of small pharmacies ready to play a part in the rollout.
Sandra Gidley, the president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said there were thousands of high street pharmacies who were “ready, willing and able” to assist.
And Simon Dukes, the chief executive of the pharmaceutical negotiating services committee, told the Daily Telegraph: “We’ve been telling the NHS that we’re ready, willing and desperate to help. But we’ve been met by a de facto silence.”
While Zahawi did not dispute that nobody had yet contacted smaller pharmacies he promised that they would soon be part of the process, saying: “We will make sure that community pharmacies and the independent sector are involved, and that we deliver what I think is a very credible plan.”
The controversy over what role should be played by pharmacies came as England’s third national lockdown came into force legally overnight, with a retrospective parliamentary vote on the measures due later on Wednesday expected to pass comfortably.
The education secretary, Gavin Williamson, will meanwhile outline a package of support for young people after students in England were told this year’s GCSE and A-level exams would be scrapped.
Dr Susan Hopkins, the deputy director of the national infections service at Public Health England (PHE), said coronavirus cases were still rising.
“This position is the most serious we’ve been in so far this pandemic,” she told BBC Breakfast. “We are now seeing a number of patients in hospitals 40% higher than the cases at the peak in March/April. And we know that the cases in the community are still rising. And that means that we expect to see further admissions to hospital, and we expect to see further deaths.”
However, she said medics had gained experience over the last year in treating Covid-19 and had access to more treatments.
Zahawi said the target to get almost 14 million people vaccinated by next month was “stretching” but he was confident it would be delivered.
He told Sky News: “It’s a big target, and I think the prime minister is right to set challenging targets. We need to get on with this and do it as quickly but as safely as possible.”
The shadow home secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds, told Sky News that there was a need “to ensure that the government machine is absolutely focused on this, ensuring that there is no red tape, for example for those who want to come back to the NHS … and to ensure that we have premises available all around the country.”
source: Archie Bland
Levant
You May Also Like
Popular Posts
Caricature
BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
opinion
Report
ads
Newsletter
Subscribe to our mailing list to get the new updates!