Brits ‘jumping Covid vaccine queue’ to nab appointments meant for NHS staff shared on WhatsApp
BRITS are reportedly jumping coronavirus vaccination queues by using NHS appointment links which have been shared on WhatsApp and social media.
People who are not eligible for the vaccine have been able to sign up for slots meant for NHS staff through links they have found online.
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An investigation carried out by the found some have been able to jump the queue – getting a jab before the elderly and vulnerable.
The links are part of the online booking system operated by Swiftqueue which is being used by some NHS Trusts to schedule jabs for its staff.
However, it appears people who are not on the priority list or NHS staff members have been able to arrange appointments in East London and northern areas.
Anyone above the age of 18 – regardless of eligibility – was able to book a vaccine after a link intended for staff working for the East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) was shared online.
VACCINE LOOPHOLE
The ELFT is apparently aware of the issue and is now asking people who arrive for a jab to provide ID.
During the newspaper’s investigation, a reporter was able to book an appointment at 9.50am today along with a follow-up jab on April 5 at the Westfield vaccination centre in Stratford, East London.
Their investigator spent just five minutes providing their name, postcode, NHS number and basic health information – and the appointments were confirmed “almost immediately”.
The newspaper quickly cancelled the appointments to ensure no one was being deprived of their entitled vaccination.
People were quick to boast online that they were able to get a jab without proving they worked for the NHS.
One person wrote online: “Guilty as charged! No one asked for NHS identity. We were not turned away.”
I urge people not to follow suit and use these links or try to blag their way into vaccine centres or try to find loopholes."
Stella Creasy, MP for Walthamstow
Some were left perplexed about how people were able to take advantage of the loophole.
One said: “My mother-in-law 84 had hers cancelled locally. Now has to travel 50 miles, she has dementia and we are shielding.
“My mother, 83, diabetic has not heard about hers yet. But people in her area are using Swiftqueue to book regardless of age.”
Another person said: “Perhaps someone could explain this to me. Millions of elderly are patiently waiting for the vaccine.
"Why is it that hundreds are immorally jumping the process by logging into Swiftqueue Nottinghamshire portal, without letters or referrals?”
Stella Creasy, MP for Walthamstow, described the loophole as “extremely worrying” and urged people to not “try to blag their way into vaccine centres”.
She told the Standard: “These stories of people finding loopholes in the technology to book a vaccine and so bypassing the process to prioritise those who are most vulnerable or turning up on spec at vaccine centres to see if they can jump in are extremely worrying especially as many now boasting on social media it works.
'BLAG THEIR WAY'
“I urge people not to follow suit and use these links or try to blag their way into vaccine centres or try to find loopholes and so undermine the hard work being done by so many to get the vaccine out to those who are most at risk at harm.”
Toby Perkins, MP for Chesterfield, was made aware of the loophole when he received a text saying a URL link was being sent around which gave those who are not entitled a chance to get a jab.
He added: “I went onto this link and booked on myself and it gave me an appointment as a 50-year-old – it didn’t ask me if I was a key worker.
“It allowed me to book on without my NHS number and it just gave me an appointment to go down tomorrow at 10.10am.
“Obviously having done that I cancelled it – I wouldn’t actually want to take someone’s appointment.
“I’m gratified to hear action is being taken and I’ll watch it very carefully because people really shouldn’t be jumping the queue.”
Speaking about the queue jumping, Brendan Casey, Swiftqueue CEO said that “anyone who books to get the vaccine fraudulently will be turned away – full stop".
He said: "Some people have used links shared with them to try and falsely get the Covid vaccine. If they book and attend the clinic to try and jump the queue and they do not have proof of eligibility they will be turned away.
“The NHS’s current approach prioritises the elderly and those on the front line, health and social care workers, and the clinically vulnerable to be vaccinated first. If you get an appointment, please use it. If you are eligible and get an invitation, please get an appointment.
"If you do get an invitation by a shared link dishonestly to make an appointment, I am asking that you don’t – as you will be wasting healthcare workers valuable time and you won’t be vaccinated. You must be eligible to be vaccinated to receive the vaccine."
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A spokesman for the East London NHS Foundation Trust said: “People attending appointments at the Westfield Vaccination Centre will be asked for proof that they have personally been invited for a vaccination and belong to one of these priority cohorts, to ensure that no one who is currently ineligible for the vaccine receives it as a result of making a false online declaration."
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Responding to reports in the Evening Standard that links to the Swiftqueue system used to book jabs for NHS staff were being shared online, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said measures were in place to prevent people getting the vaccine as a result of making a "false online declaration".
They said: "Nobody should be seeking to queue-jump, we have set out why we are prioritising those we are, given the increased risk that those groups face," the spokesman said. "It is important that we provide protection to those who are most at clinical risk."
