Dame Joan Bakewell has instructed lawyers

BROADCASTER Baron­ess Joan Bakewell is threatening legal action against the government over the delay to people getting second doses of a coronavirus vaccine.

The Labour peer, 87, who lives in Primrose Hill, is fundraising for a judicial review of vaccine policy. She said the public had been told the Pfizer vaccine would only work if a second injection was administered within three weeks of the first jab.

Some people who received their initial dose before Christmas were only told after it had been administered that they would now face a longer than expected wait for the booster. The government has decided that they should wait 12 weeks – nine longer than Pfizer recommends – leading to doubts over its efficacy.

Dame Joan said she had herself already received two doses of the vaccine but she wanted to test whether the delay faced by others was “lawful and safe”, adding: “The World Health Organisation does not recommend following the UK decision. Pfizer says it has tested the vaccines efficacy only when the two doses are given 21 days apart. There is widespread confusion and concern.”

She has set up a fundraising page that had raised £7,500 of a target of £20,000 by yesterday (Wednesday). Legal letters were sent out by Islington-based Leigh Day & Co solicitors to the Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Friday.

The government has said that holding back the second dose will mean more people will be able to have a first dose and that some protection forms after one jab.

Around 2.4 million in the UK have already had a first dose, including a third of over-80s, but the government has set a target of scaling up to having inoculated 15 million people by the middle of February.

In Camden, health chiefs were asked this week by the New Journal how many vaccinations had so far been carried out here, but North Central London – the health body administering the programme across five boroughs – could not provide a figure. It said residents cannot book a vaccination and must wait to be contacted by their surgery. New vaccination hubs are due to open next week including one at the Francis Crick Institute in Somers Town.

Council leader Councillor Georgia Gould said: “We are working to ensure all care home residents and staff will be vaccinated by the end of January. Camden GPs have vaccinated just under 5,000 patients already.”

She added: “In addition to the three primary care sites that are live in Camden, a fourth site at the Royal Free Rec Club is scheduled to go live from today [Thursday] we understand and following this Francis Crick will also open as a vaccine hub.”

Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer, the Holborn and St Pancras MP has joined a campaign for residents to help with the rollout where they can.

“We also need volunteers helping get the information into communities so people, particularly in the first four groups, know they are eligible for the vaccine and have the confidence to come forward and know where to go and get it,” he said.

“There’s then the logistics of getting people to the vaccination centres. I’ve seen in Newham, for instance, people in cars and taxis bringing people to the vaccination centre, then there were volunteers with the Red Cross getting them inside and helping them through the process. “So there are practical things people can do.”