Today we awoke to the welcome news that the UK will be the first country globally to roll out a COVID-19 vaccine, beginning as early as next week. Recently the London Taxi Driver’s Association (LDTA) called for all cabbies to be included in the first batch of vaccinating following reports that the trade had one of the highest mortality rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cab Direct are fully supportive of the taxi association driving for hackney and private hire taxi drivers to be one of the first groups of people to be vaccinated.
Sobering Findings
Reports show that taxi drivers are one of the most at risks groups at risk of catching COVID-19 was outlined in a recent occupational study. The Office for National Statistics reported in June that 4,761 deaths involving COVID-19 were registered in England and Wales between March and May.
In the category of road transport drivers, taxi and cab drivers along with chauffeurs had the highest death rate, with 65.3 deaths per 100,000 men which accounted for 134 deaths in the period March–May. Other occupations in this category were bus and coach drivers, van drivers and LGV drivers.
The Vaccine
We are delighted to hear the news earlier today that the UK is the first country to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine. This vaccine has come about in just 10 months and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have analysed it and say it offers up to 95% protection against the Covid-19 illness. This great news means we can safely roll out the vaccine and we expect the first 800,000 doses to be available as early as next week. The vaccine must be stored at -70C so it’s likely to be stored in hospitals initially and first rolled out to NHS staff and patients. Care homes patients and their staff have also been placed in the priority list to be vaccinated as soon as possible.
The UK government have ordered 40 million doses which is enough to treat 20 million people. Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, said the vaccine will be rolled out as quickly as it can be produced and we should expect several million in December. The majority of vaccinations will however take place in the new year. Mr Hancock added: “2020 has been just awful and 2021 is going to be better,”.
We still also have hopes approval of the Oxford University vaccine. Their interim results showed that the vaccine was 70% effective after two doses in protecting against COVID-19. However, those stats rose to 90% effective when administering one half dose followed by a full dose so this is very significant.
LDTA
In addition to pushing for priority vaccination, the LDTA also continue to promote safe travel in black cabs and support all the precautions that many taxi drivers have put into place such as partition screens and regular sanitizing. Steve McNamara, General Secretary said: “We are working with the Department of Transport who are developing some more detailed safer travel guidance for Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles and looking at ways to potentially provide funding for PPE and cleaning devices. We know this is too little too late, but anything we can do to reassure passengers that taxis are as safe as possible should help encourage people back into cabs over the next few months.”
At Cab Direct we welcome today’s news around the vaccine and with England’s lockdown restriction easing today and other parts of the country being due to follow suit in the coming weeks, look forward to seeing the trade bounce back in the months ahead. We’re here to support the taxi trade so if you’re looking for a purpose-built cab or private hire vehicle for when the country begins to move again please call the number at the top of the page, enquire online or visit our website.