Hundreds of teachers in London ‘book Covid vaccine through NHS booking link sent on Whatsapp’

Hundreds of teachers in London are booking coronavirus vaccinations through an NHS link, it has been suggested, while other areas are rolling out jabs to over-60s.

A staff member at a school in the capital, who has not been named, claimed today he had been able to book an appointment through a portal set up by Barts Health.

The staff member said he was below 70 and had no underlying health conditions, meaning he was not in the Government’s top four priority groups. 

Labour has repeatedly called for teachers to be bumped up the jabs priority list, arguing it could get schools open sooner. 

The party won a majority of seats in the capital during the last general election, managing to cling on to 49 of 73 while its support collapsed in the North.

It comes amid reports Britons in their late 60s living in Greater Manchester are already being offered their first dose.

NHS England figures show authorities in the area have only vaccinated 86.5 per cent of over-80s, 88.1 per cent of those aged 75-79, and 56 per cent of 70-74s.

Ministers have insisted they will not ‘stand in the way’ of the rollout being expanded outside the four priority groups before mid-February.

The offering of jabs outside the top four priority groups comes as NHS data published yesterday revealed almost 300,000 over-80s are still waiting for their first dose.

Boris Johnson has said everyone over-70, in the most vulnerable groups, in care homes and NHS frontline staff will get their first dose by mid-February.

Ministers have so far resisted calls to bump teachers up the vaccination list, saying they will follow the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommendations.

Speaking in an anonymous capacity to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the teacher said: ‘A friend of ours at another school had received an email from their friend. She quoted the email the person had received apparently from a senior leader at their school. 

‘The quote was that Barts Health Authority was vaccinating teachers with their leftover vaccines and then it went on to give a link from the Barts booking system and a password to use.

‘I was [able to book an appointment]. I was sceptical that it would accept the appointment right up to the point it was confirmed.

‘I thought during the booking process, if it wasn’t something I was entitled to, I thought there would be something that would close it down or would refuse the appointment. 

‘But I went through the booking system and entered my details, my school details, my job details and then received a confirmation of the appointment itself.’