Outbreak Management Advisory Committee

Report Date 5 July 2021

Covid-19 vaccination programme update

The vaccination programme continues to work well in York and North Yorkshire. With all citizens over the age of 18 now eligible. Colleagues will be aware that nationally the availability of vaccines is being managed to move resources to support areas with greatest needs and this changes frequently based on transmission and infection rates. As of 5 July, at the time of writing this report the vaccination rates for the Vale of York CCG were as follows:

CCG population	Total Population covered	Eligible population	First doses undertaken	Second Doses undertaken	% First Doses delivered	% Second Doses delivered
Vale of York	366,268	303,354	247,929	183,808	81.7%	60.6%
City of York	213,885	179,829	139,904	99,243	77.8%	55.2%

The Vale of York cohort 1-9 vaccination rate is first dose 93.9% and second dose at 91.4%

COVID vaccination programme – work on inclusivity

Together with system partners, most notably Public Health/CYC Contract Tracers/Nimbuscare we have been working to identify any barriers which impact the uptake of the vaccine and members of the board have heard already about initiatives such as:

- Myth busting comms via social media

- Multi language and accessible information

- Face book live events

- Print media campaigns, nationally and locally.

We have been working in line with the JVCI priorities to ensure that those most vulnerable to serious harm and/or inpatient admission with Covid 19, have achieved the highest levels of uptake of first and second doses.

As part of specific work looking at areas of inequality, we have addressed queries and implemented changes for example:

- Accessibility to our primary sites, creating transport hardship funds, voluntary transport drivers and public transport information. Increasing the utilisation of bus companies, Age UK and York Wheels drivers to assist patients in getting to Local Vaccination Service

- Engagement with local leaders of different groups, including faith leaders

- Bespoke offers for groups to reflect different needs ie campaign to support vaccinations during Ramadan; specialist learning disability clinics; homeless and asylums seeker service and campaigns to highlight the offer to carers

- In our highest outbreak areas, we've also been working with key employers to ensure increased workforce vaccination rates

- Our contract tracers at both CYC and Nimbuscare have called 1500 individuals not yet vaccinated and eligible to understand reasons for non-take up and this data is influencing changes in our approach to vaccination service delivery.

Data on differential take up in York Ward areas

Recently we have been working with public health colleagues at local and regional level to analyse the take up data to understand where we might want to flex our approaches to make taking up a vaccine as easy and straight forward as possible.

A key element to understand is the way in which the NHS has been rolling out eligibility to be vaccinated and the release of vaccines to support the roll out has impacted those wards which have been identified as low uptake. For example:

Those citizens aged 30-31 were eligible for a covid vaccination on 26 May 21.

Those citizens aged 25-29 were eligible for a covid vaccination on 7 June 21.

Those citizens aged 21-22 were eligible for a covid vaccination on 16 June 21.

Those citizens aged over 18 were eligible for a covid vaccination on 18 June 21.

This means that those wards with higher numbers of young people, identified here as 18-30 years of age have only become eligible relatively recently. That’s not the case in every ward, and we know we have more to do, but it has impacted on the reported take up figures by ward.

It remains the case that the supply of vaccines influences our volume of service delivery, and under 40s are predominantly offered Pfizer or Moderna, so when we have a surplus of Astra Zeneca in the system there are some restrictions on the offer but supplies for all approved vaccines are now in line with the government initiate of the 'Big Weekend'.

Vaccination Services over the weekend of Friday 25 June to Monday 28 June

Nationally, vaccination teams and supplies had been planned for a 'super weekend' of vaccinations with more pop-up clinics and walk in services for first and second doses and was to align with a communications campaign to encourage citizens to come and take up the offer. The super weekend aimed to make it easier and more convenient than ever for eligible people who haven’t had their vaccine yet to come forward – crucially boosting the numbers of people receiving their first and second dose jabs. In the city of York there were a series of walk-in, pop-up Covid vaccination clinics at venues across the city for the 'Grab a Jab' weekend. The model of walk-in clinics is now continuing and is seeing good take up.

York City Centre vaccination services to support wards with low take up

Partners have been adapting approaches to encourage and increase is vaccination take up in wards where to date there has been lower take up, and we are now seeing percentage take up, particularly in wards with more younger people increase now all over 18s are eligible. We've been monitoring vaccination rates in any ward with less than an 80% take up over the last 2 weeks specifically.

We are aware that Fishergate; Guildhall and Hull Road remain at lower levels of vaccination rates but are showing increases week on week in line with eligibility and accessibility of the services and we anticipate this continuing.  

We remain focused on increasing uptake rates across all cohorts.

Stephanie Porter - Director for Primary Care and Population Health 5/7/21