24/7 Covid vaccination service unlikely in near future, says Hancock
February 3, 2021, 12:01 pm

24/7 Covid vaccination service unlikely in near future, says Hancock

People queue outside the conference centre in Brighton to receive their vaccination jab against Covid-19.

Limited supplies and preference for daytime jabs mean PM’s plan may not be delivered soon

Boris Johnson’s promise to set up a 24/7 Covid vaccination service is unlikely to be delivered in the near future, the health secretary has indicated.

Matt Hancock said there was insufficient supply of jabs to extend the operation, which focuses on daytime inoculations. Even if there were, he added, few staff and members of the public were keen on nighttime vaccinations.

“We have discovered, perhaps to nobody’s surprise, that people tend to want to have the jab during the day and those who are doing the vaccination prefer to do it during the day,” Hancock told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday.

“And so, since what you need to do is you need a vaccinator and you need the vaccine and you need the person being vaccinated, getting those three together during the day is more convenient than overnight.”

He added that the “rate-limiting factor is not the ability for the NHS to get this delivered, the rate-limiting factor is supply” of the vaccines.

Hancock’s comments came only three weeks after the prime minister promised to set up centres that would run all night and handed the health secretary the job of making it happen.

On 13 January, Johnson told the Commons vaccines would be “going to 24/7 as soon as we can”. However, the prime minister also acknowledged the fundamental problem with his promise, admitting: “At the moment the limit is on supply.”

Hancock referred to small-scale night-time operations that were running, such as one he visited in Essex this week, and did not rule out the possibility of a wider 24/7 operation in the future. “We’ll do anything – anything – to make sure that the supply is delivered into people’s arms as fast as safely possible, including 24-hour supply,” he said.

The health secretary highlighted the importance of an uninterrupted supply of vaccines, referring to the problems EU nations have had in respect of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab.

Asked if he regretted the extent to which the issue had become politicised in Europe, where officials have been furious at the supply shortages and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, has cast doubt on jab’s the effectiveness in older people, Hancock said: “I think it would have been far better if we’d all worked together all the way through.”

Speaking on the Today programme on Wednesday, the chief investigator of the Oxford vaccine trial, Prof Andrew Pollard, rejected Macron’s claim that the vaccine is “quasi-ineffective” in over-65s.

“I don’t understand what the statement means. The point is that we have rather less data in older adults, which is why people have less certainty about the level of protection,” Pollard said.

“But we have good immune responses in older adults very similar to younger adults, the protection that we do see is in exactly the same direction and of a similar magnitude to younger adults.

“I think we’re confident that we’re going to see good protection in all age groups, just as global regulators haven taken that view.”

source: Kevin Rawlinson

Levant

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).

Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.