Islands small enough to get priorities right

Much of the islands’ best work in relation to the pandemic has come from an understanding that Bailiwick’s small size, non-porous borders and united community make bespoke solutions not only possible but desirable.

In this instance, the idea is that those whose work puts them in harm’s way should be moved up the pecking order.

The fortunate recipients would be mostly workers in the public sector such as police, teachers, prison officers and border agency staff.

The advice so far from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has been that age is the single greatest risk factor and should be the main determining factor, not occupation.

With the exception of health staff and those with serious health conditions, vaccination teams across the country have therefore been steadily working down the age ranges.

The simplicity of the programme is part of the appeal. It is intuitive enough for health professionals and the public to readily buy into it. The fewer changes that are made the better.

Making it more complicated risks damaging that trust.

The system’s simplicity also means that it is easy-to-deliver, which helps with rapid deployment.

The JCVI worries therefore that targeting occupational groups such as teachers and police adds complexity and could slow the whole vaccine programme.

It is at this point that the Bailiwick can argue its special case.

While the local vaccination programme is a big and complicated beast, the size of the island community means Public Health can be confident adjusting the programme will not create disruption.

The JCVI says it wants local health teams to use their knowledge and experience to engage with local communities in support of the vaccine programme.

In negotiating with the UK about this divergence, Public Health can argue that it is using its local knowledge to do precisely that.

The key questions then become which groups should benefit first and how far up the priority list they should be placed.