GPs in Kent are fighting back against plans to cancel appointments for over-80s to receive the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

NHS bosses yesterday said residents booked in to have a follow-up jab after January 4 should have this appointment rescheduled.

The government now wants vaccinations administered 12 weeks apart - rather than 21 days - in order to dramatically speed up the roll-out.

But this would require Kent GPs and their staff to contact thousands of elderly patients within the next few days, causing "unnecessary disruption for a very vulnerable group".

The Kent Local Medical Committee has today release a statement urging patients to attend their second dose appointments, unless told otherwise by their GPs.

"Patients of Kent and Medway, as you will be aware guidance is changing rapidly as the government do their best to keep us all safe," they write.

"We would like to make one message clear as our colleagues in General Practice are working hard to continue patient services and deliver the Covid Vaccination Programme – if you have an appointment booked with your GP surgery please attend as planned unless you are contacted by your GP surgery to change it.

"The vaccine supply is centrally delivered, practices do not have control over this, things are being changed with short notice. Please accept calls from us to change your appointment.

"We are also aware of some scam calls around the vaccination programme. Remember NHS services are free - at no point will GP surgeries ask for you, the patient, to pay for the Covid-19 vaccine."

Dr John Allingham, medical director of the committee, told KentOnline cancelling the second dose appointments which have already been booked would only amount to an extra 100,000 jabs being made available nationally.

The government is aiming to vaccinate two million people a week now the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved.

Dr Allingham said: "We believe it's in the best interests of this group of patients to continue as planned.

"Cancelling these appointments would cause unnecessary disruption for a very vulnerable group."

The Kent and Medway Clinicial Commissioning Group is also understood to be resisting the instructions from NHS England.

NHS England yesterday told GPs that anyone booked in for a second dose before January 4 can go-ahead as planned.

Those scheduled for a follow-up after Monday should be postponed until 12 weeks after the first jab.

Dr Allingham remains optimistic about the roll-out of the Covid vaccine.

He says that if given the tools by health secretary Matt Hancock, doctors could vaccinate all the over-55s by Easter.

He tweeted earlier: "During October GPs did 5 million flu jabs. Given the AZ vaccine, freed from bureaucracy and non-essential work that could be doubled.

"By Easter GPs could cover all the over-55s and clinically at-risk."

The Kent Local Medical Committee is made up of GPs and primary care staff and "acts as the official democratic representative voice of Kent General Practitioners".

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