The people you think should get a Covid vaccine next - from teachers to emergency service workers

It is the Government’s target for everyone in the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s (JCVI) top four priority groups to have had their first Covid vaccine dose by Monday, February 15.

These groups are:

One – residents in a care home for older adults and their carers

Two – all those aged 80 and over and frontline health and social care workers

Three – all those aged 75 and over

Four – all those aged 70 and over and the clinically extremely vulnerable (shielding)

The current JCVI advice then sets out five further groups to next receive vaccinations – including those aged between 50 and 65 and those aged 16-64 who suffer underlying health conditions which put them at greater risk.

People in this latter group are classed as at moderate risk from coronavirus and known as clinically vulnerable.

The following groups are:

Five – all those aged 65 and over

Six – all those aged between 16 and 64 with underlying health conditions (clinically vulnerable) which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality

Seven – all those aged 60 and over

Eight – all those aged 55 and over

Nine – all those aged 50 and over

JCVI guidance on these nine groups adds: “It is estimated that taken together, these groups represent around 99% of preventable mortality from Covid-19.”

Calls have recently increased for essential workers, including teachers, retail staff and those in the emergency services, to be vaccinated after the first four groups.

Speaking on Wednesday, January 27, Home Secretary Priti Patel said the Government will work to prioritise police in the roll-out, but has not given a timescale.

We asked who you thought should be next in line for a Covid jab after those in the first four groups.

This is what you said on the Northumberland Gazette Facebook page:

Chrissy Morris-Watson: “There's an argument for everyone but personally I will wait a little longer until those who have had their first dose get their second.”

Mark Andrews Saunders: “60 to 70 year olds. Statistically the most vulnerable of those not yet vaccinated.”

Karen Ball: “All frontline workers, ie police, NHS, teachers and include in this shop workers, tradespeople etc … infact anyone who keeps the country running.”

Related content: Schools to reopen on 8 March in England - what Boris Johnson said

Gloria Janet Sturgeon: “Over 60s, underlying health problems, then rest of the key workers.”

Jane Handyside: “For me personally teachers (so kids can get back to school), supermarket staff (for the amount of people they are around all day, every day), police officers (for the amount of idiots there are around).”

Karen Anderson: “Anyone who has gone out to work in a front-line role from the start of this pandemic to keep the country going since the first lockdown.”

Karen Hope: “Emergency services staff, fire, police, paramedics, all school staff, all supermarket staff, and anyone else who has kept the country going. If all these people worked from home the country would have grinded to a halt.”

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