Hundreds of teachers in London are booking coronavirus vaccinations through an NHS link, it has been suggested, while other regions are rolling out jabs to over 60s.
A staff member at a school in the capital, who has not been named, said today that he was able to make an appointment through a portal set up by Barts Health.
The staff member said he was under 70 and had no underlying health issues, which meant he was not in the government’s top four priority groups.
The Labor Party has repeatedly called for teachers to be pushed off the jab priority list, arguing it could open schools earlier.
The party won the majority of seats in the capital in the last general election, managing to hang on to 49 out of 73 as its support plummeted in the North.
It comes amid reports that Britons in their late 60s living in Greater Manchester are already being offered their first dose.
Figures from NHS England show authorities in the region only vaccinated 86.5% of those over 80, 88.1% of 75-79 and 56% of 70-74.
The ministers insisted they would not “oppose” the expansion of the deployment outside the four priority groups before mid-February.
The offer of jabs outside the top four priority groups comes as NHS data released yesterday revealed nearly 300,000 people over the age of 80 are still waiting for their first dose.
Boris Johnson said all people over 70, in the most vulnerable groups, in care homes and frontline NHS staff will receive their first dose by mid-February.
Ministers have so far resisted calls to increase the list of teachers on the vaccination list, saying they will follow the recommendations of the Joint Committee on Immunization and Immunization.
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Speaking anonymously to BBC Radio 4’s Today program, the teacher said: “A friend of ours at another school had received an email from their friend. She cited the email the person apparently received from a senior official at their school.
“The quote was that the Barts Health Authority vaccinated teachers with their remaining vaccines, then provided a link from the Barts reservation system and a password to use.
‘I was [able to book an appointment]. I was skeptical that he would accept the appointment until the time it was confirmed.
“I thought during the booking process, if it wasn’t something I was entitled to, I thought there would be something that would close him or refuse the appointment.
“But I went through the reservation system and entered my contact details, my school details, my job details, and then got a confirmation of the appointment itself. ”
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