Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 13
13
Not Addressed
However, effective targeting is now essential because those who are not fully vaccinated are concentrated...
Conclusion
However, effective targeting is now essential because those who are not fully vaccinated are concentrated in particular social groups. According to NHS England, many unvaccinated people are young city-dwellers, with just five cities accounting for a quarter of the total number of unvaccinated people.30 Data confirm that young people are indeed less likely to be vaccinated, including school children. Overall uptake of COVID vaccination had reached 90% of adults by the end of May 2022 (based on 2 doses). But by the same point, only 55% of young people aged 16 and 17 had received 2 doses, and only 38% of 12- to 15-year-olds.31 Even allowing for the later starting point of these campaigns, this is a significant difference.
Government Response Summary
The government disagreed with the committee's recommendation to reduce the overall number of unvaccinated adults to 2.5 million and achieve an 80% uptake for first boosters among adults within four months. They stated they continue to focus on reaching out to the unvaccinated and not fully vaccinated and are using walk-in and mobile vaccination clinics to enable easy access.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
1. PAC conclusion: Nearly 3 million adults in England remain unvaccinated and are therefore at greater risk of becoming hospitalised or dying because of COVID-19 than if they were vaccinated. 2 1: PAC recommendation: Both NHS England and its local partners, should redouble efforts to reach the unvaccinated and those not fully vaccinated. We recommend that the COVID-19 vaccine programme set itself a challenge to reduce the overall number of adults who are unvaccinated to 2.5 million, and achieve an 80% uptake for (first) boosters among adults, within four months of announcing the challenge. 1.1 The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 1.2 NHS England (NHSE) and its local partners continue to focus on reaching out to and maintaining an offer of COVID-19 vaccination to the unvaccinated and the not fully vaccinated. Throughout the lifetime of the programme however, government has adopted an approach that it would learn from past immunisation programmes and move away from uptake targets and focus its efforts on making a credible offer to the population, providing accurate information, using trusted voices to help promote uptake and engaging with people at a local level. This principle will continue to be adopted for the COVID-19 vaccine programme going forward. 1.3 A convenient offer – including the use of walk-in and mobile vaccination clinics to enable easy access - continues to be an important way in which the government is working hard to reach people who are traditionally underserved and who remain unvaccinated for COVID-19. 1.4 Through these activities, there were considerable reductions in the unvaccinated during the spring booster campaign. As of the week ending 4 September 2022, using Office for National Statistics (ONS) population estimates, 2.9 million individuals remain unvaccinated in England. 1.5 An increase has been seen in booster dose uptake over the same period. As of 9 September 2022, 82.2% of adults eligible for a first booster/third dose had received their first booster/third dose. NHSE expects that both figures will continue to improve during the 2022 autumn/winter campaign, and it will continue to monitor progress against plans.