Trusted pharmacists could help persuade those unsure over coronavirus vaccine, Health Secretary suggests

Matt Hancock tonight said more than the 200 initial community pharmacies signed up as part of the Government’s mass vaccine drive would be utilised.

It comes after the Yorkshire Post and its sister titles today called for trusted pharmacists to be on the frontline of administering the vaccine.

But he said this would be more useful in the second phase of the roll out, where the idea was to vaccinate as many people as possible, once the vulnerable had been protected.

Speaking at a Downing Street briefing Mr Hancock said: “I'm sure that there's more that community pharmacy can do, I'm a huge fan of the role that community pharmacy plays, especially so close to the community so often it is the bit of the NHS that is most embedded in the local community.”

He said: “Now, that means that especially when we're coming to make sure that as many people as possible get the vaccine.

“At the moment we've started with the big numbers but we're going to have to get the vaccine out to people either who find it difficult to travel, or who are less certain that they want the vaccine, and persuade people to take the vaccine.

“And I think that community pharmacy will have a particularly important role in that stage of the campaign.”

Read more: Downing Street pledges to bring more community pharmacies to vaccine delivery programme

It comes as health minister Nadhim Zahawi has criticised “very clever and evil” videos circulating on the instant messaging platform WhatsApp to dissuade people from taking the vaccine.

In the Commons, Conservative MP David Johnston (Wantage) said his local health bosses “report a worrying trend of those from ethnic minorities not picking up the vaccine at the same rate as other groups”.

While Labour MP Karen Buck (Westminster North) added: “One of the key ways we’re going to be able to counter some of the very virulent anti-vax and indeed Covid denial messages that are out there on social media – and that are impacting particularly in some communities – need to be countered not just by a myth-busting approach but by the peer-to-peer positive example messaging within local communities, within faith groups, between neighbours, in local social media networks.”

Mr Zahawi replied: “I also sadly see it among the community that myself and my wife come from where there is a lot of disinformation not only on social media but very clever and evil uses of platforms like WhatsApp to share videos to scare people into not having the vaccine.

“And she’s absolutely right. Local government have a central role to play in this, local public health leaders as well.

“We’re engaging with them and of course making sure that local leaders throughout the UK are engaging in telling the story. She’s right to say the most effective way is for people to see someone like them actually taking the vaccine and being protected.”

But Mr Hancock said he was “confident” that the first four priority groups would receive their coronavirus vaccine by the middle of next month.

The Health Secretary said: “We are on track to meet that target – it’s not going to be easy, but we are going to get there.”

While National Medical Director for England Professor Stephen Powis said he too was confident that the target would be met.

Mr Hancock said: “The vaccine rollout is now proceeding at pace, and we all know that this is the way out of the pandemic. I'm determined as I have been for almost a year now to drive this vaccination programme, as fast as is safely possible.

“I'm determined to ensure every adult in this country has the chance to be vaccinated. And that as many people as possible take up that chance to be vaccinated, and vaccines are important.

“I care about vaccines, because I want our country to get back to normal as fast as possible. I want us to have that great British summer.”

New figures show the number of people in the UK to have been given a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine is nearly 2.3m.

Professor Powis, told the briefing that vaccination would gradually lead to a drop in people in hospital.

“But we are not going to see it now,” he said. “We are not going to see it next week or the week after.

“It won’t be until we get to February that we are going to see the early signs of that.

“The vaccination programme gives hope but to battle the virus today, we have to comply with the guidelines today.”

Meanwhile, Labour has called for vaccination centres to be open 24/7.

Earlier, Boris Johnson warned that tougher lockdown measures may be needed as he stressed “now is the moment for maximum vigilance”.

It comes amid increasing calls for tougher lockdown restrictions – including from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer – as case rates soar in several parts of the country.

During a visit to a vaccine centre in Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol, the Prime Minister said: “We’re going to keep the rules under constant review.

“Where we have to tighten them, we will.

“We have rules in place already which, if they are properly followed, we believe can make a huge, huge difference.

“It’s now that people need to focus… when they’re out shopping, whether they’re buying cups of coffee in the park or whatever it happens to be, they need to think about spreading the disease.”

Mr Johnson said that “more important than us just pushing out new rules”, people should follow existing guidance.

“In supermarkets, people need to be keeping their distance, making sure that they’re wearing masks, doing the right thing.

“We need to enforce the rules in supermarkets. When people are getting takeaway drinks, in cafes, then they need to avoid spreading the disease there, avoid mingling too much.

“Now is the moment for maximum vigilance, maximum observance of the rules.

“Of course, if we feel that things are not being properly observed then we may have to do more.”