NI coronavirus vaccine slowdown revealed: Acceleration of roll-out promised but summer target out of reach at current rates

That is according to Belfast-based data specialist Peter Donaghy, who has been crunching the numbers from the Stormont health department for several weeks.

Mr Donaghy told the News Letter that, thanks to a recent slowdown in the rate at which people are being immunised, the government target could be out of reach.

But the Department of Health has announced that it will “accelerate” the vaccine roll-out in the weeks ahead, and have said the over-65s should get their jabs “in the next five weeks”.

The News Letter has reported that the ‘phase one’ roll-out – everyone aged over 80, everyone who lives or works in a care home, and frontline health staff – was still on course for completion this week.

Mr Donaghy said the figures released by the Stormont health department show that is still the case, but he said the slowdown over the course of the past week has seen other parts of the UK overtake Northern Ireland – which had until recently higher vaccine rates per capita than England, Scotland and Wales.

As of January 24, 182,355 vaccines had been administered in Northern Ireland.

The data specialist said: “In terms of phase one, it does look like they’re going to hit their targets and get to the finish line this week. I don’t think there is an issue with that.

“They had been making good progress until the week before last, but then it really seems to have slowed right down.”

He continued: “If you look at the likes of England and Wales, they’ve managed to get first doses to 3.9 and 3.8% of the population in the last week whereas in Northern Ireland it’s been less than half that at 1.8%.

“It doesn’t appear to be affecting England and Wales at the minute. It does seem to be a Northern Ireland thing.”

The vice chair of the Stormont health committee, DUP MLA Pam Cameron, expressed concern.

“Signs that the number of doses administered in Northern Ireland have fallen back over recent days are obviously concerning,” she said.

“It is important the Department of Health and the minister can reassure the public that our vaccination targets in Northern Ireland will be met.

“If supplies are not limited at present then a reduction in vaccination rates would appear to be down to distribution issues.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Health said there will “be peaks and troughs” and said the “numbers will always be lower towards the end of a particular group”.

The Department of Health also said yesterday that “everyone over 65” would be offered a vaccine by “the end of next month”, in ‘phase two’ of the roll-out. Trust-run vaccination centres, meanwhile, have begun immunising the “clinically extremely vulnerable”.