Covid: North West vaccines to be cut by a third in February

Covid-19 vaccine supplies in the North West of England will be cut by a third in February, the NHS has confirmed.

The NHS confirmed the weekly supply will be reduced to 200,000 by the second week of the month for Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire, Merseyside and South Cumbria.

The Health Service Journal (HSJ) said the move was due to national shortages and to allow other areas to catch up.

The Department of Health said the vaccination programme was "on track".

It was previously reported that the North East and Yorkshire would see vaccine supplies halved to address variations in regional vaccination rates.

NHS England's North West directorate said in a statement that the region was being "fully supplied with all the vaccinations needed to offer vaccination to everyone across the region aged 70 and above, as well as clinically extremely vulnerable patients, and health and social care staff".

The Department of Health told the HSJ targeted deliveries were being made to areas with more people left to vaccinate in the priority categories, proportionate to their at-risk population.

A spokesman added that the department was "in close contact with all of our vaccine suppliers and remain on track to offer first vaccinations to the top four priority groups by mid-February".

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