Our prime minister reassures us that there are four groups who will have priority for vaccination (England to enter toughest Covid lockdown since March, 4 January). But there is no mention of the teaching assistants who are required to teach the children of key workers. It seems inequitable that teachers can remain at home while higher-level teaching assistants have to care for these children in primary schools. My daughter must travel by public transport to her school to work – higher-level teaching assistants are paid less, but are required to be on the frontline and exposed to an increased risk of infection. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation must urgently review the vaccination priority categories.
Pamela Strachan
Glenhighton, Scottish Borders
• Your article says that it is “public health pragmatism” when the government decides to ignore the protocol on the time between vaccine doses (How is the Oxford Covid vaccine being deployed in England?, 3 January). But it is not pragmatism, it is recklessness – unless there is an evidence-based answer to this question: if I get the second dose of my Pfizer vaccine 12 weeks after the first, how protected will I be?
Jeanne Warren
Garsington, Oxfordshire
• Surely the best way of ensuring safe schools would be to vaccinate school staff. This would enable children to return to school, allowing parents to work and kickstart the economy.
Judith Wright
Darwen, Lancashire
• The vaccination programme is clearly urgent. As a retired GP, I have registered again with the General Medical Council and volunteered as a vaccinator. I have completed the training, which consists of 34 learning modules. Some have relevance but many do not; three of them are about the prevention of radicalisation.
I am now required to upload the module certificates with a copy of my passport and references. I am unable to do this without guidance, but the emails I have been sent are no-reply addresses. After many hours, I have finally given up.
Can I use your letters page to say that I am available, unpaid, to help? I believe that there are many more like me who are willing but can’t cope with the bureaucracy.
Peter Spargo
Colwall, Worcestershire
