Lift lockdown quicker now 1 in 4 vaccinated, says Romford MP

Andrew Rosindell MP says lockdown restrictions should ease faster than planned (Credit: Parliament) 

Romford’s MP says the government should speed up the process of easing lockdown restrictions now a quarter of people in Romford – including children – have received a Covid-19 jab.

Conservative Andrew Rosindell says the percentage of adults who have had a vaccine is likely to be significantly higher than 25%.

“In contrast to the European Union, the leadership of which has been bullying private companies and feeding concerns about the effectiveness of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine for older people, the UK’s vaccination programme, led by the NHS, has been an overwhelming success.

“With the most vulnerable now vaccinated in vast numbers, and with data showing that the vaccine reduces transmission, the Government should be ready and willing to accelerate the easing of the lockdown restrictions, to get the economy moving as quickly as possible,” he said.

Meanwhile the deputy chief medical officer for England, Jonathan Van-Tam, has warned: “Do not wreck this, we are so close.”

He said he had been “besieged with people writing in saying ‘I have had the vaccine and essentially can I start breaking the rules’” but his view was that “it is too early to relax”.

So far, 26, 698 residents have been vaccinated out of the town’s population of 106, 657.

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said every over-18 in the UK will have been inoculated by the end of July due to the government’s Vaccine Delivery Plan.

18.6 million people across the country, around one in three adults, have had their first dose of the Oxford/AstraZenica or Pfizer/BioNTech jab.

Everyone in the top four priority groups has been offered a vaccine and people aged between 40-49 are now being called into the 1500 vaccination centres across the country.

But there are concerns false claims the jab increases infertility is harming uptake, especially among black, Asian and ethnic minority groups.

Yesterday, Matt Hancock gave a “shout out” to a GP in Newham, where BAME people make up 73% of the population, for her mission to call every one of her 5,000 patients who have been offered but not yet received a vaccine.

Here’s the Secretary of State for Health & Social Care @MattHancock giving a special shout out to our very own Dr @fhussain73 for phoning vulnerable people in #Newham #EastLondon to answer questions about the vaccine and enable them to make informed choices. #GP @Projectsurgery1 pic.twitter.com/o129Q0XPiE

— LettsomGrow (@LettsomGrow) February 26, 2021

Dr Farzana Hussain said she is aiming to “drive out hesitancy about the vaccine, and boost uptake” after spotting the borough’s uptake was lower than the national average of 90%

The GP at Project Surgery said: “People from BAME communities are dying because of misinformation; British Bangladeshi’s are five times more likely to die due to covid.

“A range of concerns came up, including misinformation around infertility and the use of animal products, which are both completely untrue.

“There was no doubt in my mind to get the vaccine in order to protect my children and make sure I am still here to look after them. I want others to make that same choice.”

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