THE NHS has denied extra Covid-19 jabs to Blackburn with Darwen borough for surge vaccination, a media report claims, as “more transmissible” Delta variant cases continue to rise rapidly in the area.
Despite witnessing the highest infection rate, Blackburn’s repeated pleas to continue surge vaccination have been turned down by the NHS, The Guardian said, with a leading NHS official saying it was “increasingly difficult to drive uptake in the eligible cohorts” during the second week of the surge fortnight.
“I don’t believe that we are able to secure further additional supplies in the same volume as the ‘surge’ weeks in Blackburn as this is inbound supply dependent,” the newspaper quoted Jane Scattergood, the NHS official leading the Covid-19 vaccination programme rollout in the area, as saying.
More than 60 per cent of Blackburn’s adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, which is lower than the national average of 75 per cent.
Blackburn’s director of public health, Dominic Harrison, warned the NHS in an email correspondence that failure to continue with accelerated vaccination in Blackburn could lead to a high chance of generating “avoidable mortality”.
“This risk now seems self-evident and is unfair, unjust and avoidable,” he wrote, adding that failure to accelerate vaccine protection now in Blackburn and neighbouring areas will put the local NHS hospital “at avoidable risk of being potentially overwhelmed with cases in 3-4 weeks.”
Now declared as the dominant variant in the UK, the Delta variant is rising constantly with the number of cases rose by 79 per cent over the past week to 12, 431 as northwest England continues to remain most affected, according to Public Health England.
Scientists also believe that there may also be a higher risk of hospitalisation linked to the Delta variant. Early analysis from England and Scotland suggests that people infected with the Delta variant could be twice as likely to need hospital care, PHE said, stressing that more data is needed to confirm this analysis.
Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury
BRITISH police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after performers at Glastonbury Festival made anti-Israel comments during their shows.
"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England, said on X late on Saturday (28).
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan made anti-Israeli chants in separate shows on the West Holts stage on Saturday. One of the members of Bob Vylan chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in a reference to the Israel Defense Forces.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the police statement said.
The Israeli Embassy in Britain said it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival".
Prime minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury.
The band's frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November. He has denied the charge.
A British government minister said it was appalling that the anti-Israel chants had been made at Glastonbury, and that the festival's organisers and the BBC broadcaster - which is showing the event - had questions to answer.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
"I'd also say to the Israeli Embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News.
"I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said.
(Reuters)