Administration and computer errors have been blamed for young, healthy people accidentally being offered the Covid-19 vaccine.
A patient who attended one vaccination centre in Tower Hamlets got in touch with the Guardian to express their “disbelief” at being invited, along with a flatmate, despite being in their 30s and not classed as extremely clinically vulnerable.
Both phoned their registered GPs to check it was not a mistake, and said they were told the invitation was legitimate and they were free to book, which they did. Each received the jab last week at a vaccination centre set up in Limehouse at the Cable Street surgery, which was not responsible for the booking error.
“We were in disbelief,” one of the patients said. “Both healthy and in our 30s. I called the GP to check this was legitimate – we thought surely it was an admin error. When I got through the receptionist said I wasn’t the first person to call and she would check and confirmed it was legitimate.
“Of course I am extremely grateful to be in this position but it does feel a little under the table given the over-70s and vulnerable I know still waiting in other parts of the country,” they added.
In England, only four groups of people are currently eligible for the vaccine: those over 70, care home residents, health and social care workers, and the extremely clinically vulnerable.
The government’s joint committee on vaccination and immunisation has published a list of groups of people who will be prioritised to receive a vaccine for Covid-19 in the UK. The list is:
1 All those 80 years of age and over and health and social care workers.
2 All those 75 and over.
3 All those 70 and over.
4 All those 65 and over.
5 Adults under 65 at high at risk of serious disease and mortality from Covid-19.
6 Adults under 65 at moderate risk of at risk of serious disease and mortality from Covid-19.
7 All those 60 and over.
8 All those 55 and over.
9 All those 50 and over.
10 Rest of the population.
In the west London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, about 100 young people were erroneously offered the vaccine, the Guardian understands. None actually received it.
One Guardian reader got in touch to say their 22-year-old daughter was invited to book her first vaccination from her GP at Hammersmith and Fulham. “She called the surgery and they told her that they had already vaccinated everyone in the vulnerable category (which seems hard to believe). She did not attend because she is currently at home in Devon but was told she could come back anytime and book an appointment for the vaccine,” they said.
The west London clinic confirmed young people had been invited for vaccinations, but said it was a mistake. The east London vaccination site said some people may have been invited in error but it could not confirm this.
Omar Din, the chief executive of AT Medics, the primary care provider for Cable Street surgery, said: “Recent national changes in the way medical records are coded (moving from Read codes to SNOMED coding) has contributed to some patients being erroneously included in high-risk groups. This only affects a small number of overall patients.
“If patients find they are being recalled and are otherwise fit and healthy, we would encourage them to contact their registered GP practice and to have themselves removed from the invited group, to allow those who are currently eligible to be vaccinated first.”
In Hammersmith and Fulham, a spokesperson for the North West London Collaboration of clinical commissioning groups said: “We are aware of a small number of cases where an individual has been invited for a vaccine when they are not part of one of the current priority groups. This has been identified by the practice and all appointments have now been withdrawn with apologies.”
• This article was amended on 1 February 2021 to clarify that Cable Street surgery was not responsible for the booking error and that it could not confirm if any such errors had been made in relation to its vaccination site.
