earlier i spoke to nadeem zahawi the
minister for a covert 19 vaccine
deployment
i began by asking him if the government
was on track to meet its target of
vaccinating 15 million people by the
middle of february
i'm confident that we will uh hit the
target
uh of making sure that we offer those
four uh
top categories of the most vulnerable
people uh the vaccine
uh you've seen a a a a marked interest
today we almost hit 250 000
uh jabs in a single day we publish data
every day
and that will continue uh to improve uh
day on day i also have a quite
uh good clear line of sight now of
deliveries uh through till uh and
february so i'm pretty confident
that uh we will be able to meet that
target
there were reports this week that you
told mps and a phone call tory mps
you don't want other european countries
to know how much we have because we're
all competing for a finite supply
vaccine
but by even saying you're going to
vaccinate almost 50 million by middle of
february you're kind of giving the game
away anyway aren't you
no i said we've got tens of millions
coming through in the next weeks and
months
um uh we've ordered a hundred million of
astrazeneca and 40 million of uh
fisa vaccine uh the the thing that uh
i think would be wrong to do and i said
this this to the
select committee as well is to be to
sort of give
a running commentary of of uh a forecast
of
every delivery one because it's
for national security reasons it's it's
a wrong thing to do
secondly you don't want to to put
pressure on the manufacturers because
every country now
obviously is looking for more supply are
you worried that perhaps someone like
germany is about to hijack some of the
vaccine supplies that are on our way to
us are you really thinking
that things are so acute and
indeed desperate that that could happen
no
i wouldn't uh uh uh go
that far i think the manufacturers these
are
great companies but you know
obviously there is pressure on
production there's pressure on supply
to other countries i can tell you
exactly how many we've ordered
what i didn't want to get into is when
does each batch arrive
what i'm very happy to do which i think
information is our
ally in this endeavor is to publish
daily data of how many people we've
actually vaccinated poll this week
revealed that 43
of britons would happily be vaccinated
between six
eight midnight and six a.m with only 32
percent saying they wouldn't surely
a 24 7 vaccination would help you meet
that target
is that not happening yet just simply
because you don't have enough doses well
it's a really good question so one we're
going to pilot 24
7 um vaccination just to see how the
system
can work where will you do the pilot and
when for 24
7. so the nhs is looking exactly how to
do that but what i'm saying to you is
actually doing 24 hours a day when you
have limited vaccine supply
right you want to focus your your your
attention
and every jab to the most
but it's the the the most vulnerable
group you've said uh that the priority
group for phase two of the vaccination
program would be teachers shop workers
policemen and police women
but it would be for the joint committee
and vaccinations and immunizations to
decide that
would you be prepared and willing to
override their advice
if it means inoculating key workers
who've risked so much for us
so ready so we're so so sorry we've
raised so much for us already
so the jcbi will look at the phase two
and and will make their recommendation
my instinct
is to say those who are in professions
that are
most likely to come into contact uh with
the virus
and the viral load in teachers
uh policemen and women shop workers a
number
of different professions my instinct to
say we must focus on them
the prime minister's made it very clear
that the first thing he wants to do is
make sure that schools are completely
open
let's talk briefly about care homes
because the weekend in 10th january with
35
more care homes affected in the previous
week as levels approached those seen
in the first wave how could this have
happened again
well again look this we've we've put
testing into care homes
um uh and that has made a difference but
you're right
the reason i say to you these are the
most vulnerable
uh uh people in our society why the
reason i'm focusing
all the effort of primary care to make
sure every care home
is vaccinated before the end of the
month is because they're so vulnerable
and it's because this this variant is so
infectious
it is much more infectious and my
message to all your viewers is please
please please
stay at home this virus loves social
interactions
stay at home is a key message it's the
government's key message but this week
newsnight has reported
that rather than being non-compliant
it's not about being non-compliant
people are simply unable to quarantine
you know we have from care workers who
said
i couldn't afford another two weeks like
that it would make me reluctant to
self-isolate we are the people that held
the country up in the first wave
and now we're getting the doors shut on
us listen to the statistic
and the demons are we liverpool city
council rejected
77 of applicants for the 500 pound
payment
people cannot afford to stay at home a
lot of care workers are on minimum wage
shouldn't you be doing more to help low
paid workers you know for example
looking at new york people are paid to
stay at home
people are given hotels when they live
in small houses with other people and
can't self-isolate
is the is the focus need need to maybe
change now we need to actually
refocus to help people stay at home
rather than i mean they feel desperate
about breaking rules but they can't
afford to put food on the table
so the hardship payments are
deliberately targeted
at those who most need it um that they
are
that's their purpose for those who
really really do need it
who are on minimum wage that you
describe we also have made
uh 50 million pounds uh and an
additional i think 20 million about to
go out to local government
as further discretionary payments uh for
those people
that they they think maybe outside of
the uh the criteria that they still
need the help and so we're putting more
what do we do minister if they're being
refused it
77 other councils have similar figures
if they're being refused it these people
are desperate and they're the people
that we rely on the most
don't you need to do more for them uh
look
you're we're putting billions into both
the economy
and helping people through with the
welfare system through making sure that
housing but all the other um uh help
that's there for people
to help them get through this this is
you know it is tough
i i don't you sort of you know
deny at all how difficult this is for
people especially if you're on
a national living wage but nevertheless
the hardship payments are deliberately
targeted
at those that most need it