A Sinn Féin spokesperson has said the shambolic nature of the British Government response to the Covid-19 pandemic raises a real question mark over their ability to successfully roll out a mass vaccination programme.
West Belfast MLA Pat Sheehan was speaking amid controversy over a decision to move from two doses three weeks apart for those getting the vaccine to a new system whereby more people will get the first shot but face a ten-week wait for the second dose. Meanwhile, Pharma companies have blasted a decision to mix the vaccines, depending on availability - a decision branded akin to "the Wild West" by one of America's most eminent disease physicians.
"There is light at the end of the tunnel, for sure, with the arrival of vaccines to combat the virus," said the Sinn Féin Health spokesperson.
It's worse as they are saying 'mix' different vaccines https://t.co/iMZGSR0rlt
— Mike Tomlinson (@MikeTQUB) January 2, 2021
"However, that optimism is tempered with concern that we are dependent on the British Govdernment to supply us with the vaccines. The track record of this government in every aspect of the pandemic has been woeful, so it's no wonder that many people are asking why its performance in rolling out the vaccine will be any better.
"Already we are seeing that there has been a rethink and that there will be delays in administering the second dose of the vaccine. The Health Minister has brought forward an aspirational plan without any real meat on the bones. So we need to know who will administer the vaccine? Where will it happen? How long will it take to complete? Can we expect similar problems that Britain has faced?"
Why does the UK gov wait until the crisis is crashing around our ears before it acts? Also, here's my take on actions they must take during lockdown to get the virus under control. Lockdowns alone are just not enough to keep us safe. @BBCNews pic.twitter.com/FwRhv55Cog
— Dr Gabriel Scally (@GabrielScally) January 5, 2021
A bitter critic of the refusal of the British Government — and their DUP allies in the Executive — to follow international best practice to combat the pandemic, Pat Sheehan says he has still to see "a coherent, integrated plan" of action to defeat the virus from the Health Department here.
"The consequence is that many people have died who need not have died
"That's also why we currently have such high rates of transmission. There are no controls at ports and airports; the contact tracing operation is poor; there isn't enough support for those who are required to isolate; nor enough enforcement of the regulations. Other countries have shown that it is possible to successfully tackle the virus and allow life to go on as normal."
Critics of the British Government handling of the pandemic point to different outcomes in states such as South Korea — which adopted a policy of zero tolerance to the coronavirus — and the UK. South Korea (population 51m) has had 64,979 cases of Covid and 1,007 deaths. The UK (population 66m) has had 2,654,783 cases up to yesterday with 75,024 deaths.
GLOBAL PANDEMIC: The WHO 'score chart' for Covid-19
