Although case rates have begun to fall, cases hit a high of 6.05 cases per 100,000 over a seven-day period \u2013 the highest level in a year<\/a>.<\/p>\n Covid jabs \u2018turbo-charging\u2019 cancer treatment<\/p>\n A new study has found that patients with lung or skin cancer who had an mRNA jab within 100 days of starting immunotherapy survived for significantly longer than those who did not get the vaccine, according to research published in the journal Nature.<\/p>\n Professor Elias Sayour, a paediatric oncologist at the University of Florida and co-senior author of the paper, said researchers are \u201crapidly\u201d moving forward to a phase III trial \u2013 a larger, typically randomised trial that compares a new treatment to the standard treatment or a dummy drug. It is hoped this will answer whether Covid-19 mRNA vaccines make tumours more vulnerable to immunotherapy, which harnesses the immune system to attack cancer cells.<\/p>\n It is hoped the trial will be completed over the next three to five years. Professor Sayour said it has \u201cthe potential to be a universal tool to sensitise immunotherapy response across different cancer patients\u201d.<\/p>\n Professor Griffin said while there are caveats to the study\u2019s findings, it is an exciting opportunity. He warned that such discoveries could be at risk as a result of rolling back the NHS vaccine programme.<\/p>\n He said the link, although currently only known to be an associate one, was partly discoverable because of the scale and timespan of the vaccine rollout. Under the new NHS eligibility criteria, patients in clinical risk groups, including those with chronic respiratory disease such as asthma, chronic heart disease, chronic kidney or liver disease and neurological diseases such as Parkinson\u2019s, MS and epilepsy, are no longer offered the jab.<\/p>\n It follows updated advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which said that now Covid is a relatively mild disease for most, the greatest benefit from further doses is for those at the highest risk.<\/p>\n Professor Griffin said: \u201cWhy are the vulnerable groups that receive an influenza vaccine not receiving a Covid vaccine? Why are children not receiving a Covid vaccine?<\/p>\n \u201cIt is befuddling to me as to why. To me, this is a no-brainer.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this month, The i Paper<\/a> revealed<\/a> the number of people requesting a private Covid vaccine this month is expected to be three times higher than last October, following the Government\u2019s decision to tighten restrictions on the free jabs.<\/p>\n Malcolm Harrison, chief executive of the Company Chemists\u2019 Association, said it has received reports of higher demand for Covid vaccines.<\/p>\n \u201cOur members are seeing an uptick in private Covid vaccinations this year.<\/p>\n \u201cI can only hypothesise as to why we\u2019re seeing it, but it would stand to reason that people that are concerned about Covid and want to make sure they\u2019re covered are no longer able to get it through the NHS, there\u2019ll be a cohort of those who would be prepared and able to pay for it themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Professor Griffin said it is no surprise there has been a \u201chuge surge\u201d in demand for the vaccine given its continued importance, and the decision to scale back the vaccine programme even further risks fostering a two-tier healthcare system.<\/p>\n \u201cVaccine uptake is a complicated process and it\u2019s about making it as convenient and easy for people, combined with educating them about the benefits, as possible.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd we already know that demographics make a huge difference in terms of who takes up vaccines if they\u2019re free, so if you\u2019re then charging nearly \u00a3100 for one, then that just adds an extra layer of difficulty and it creates what you would call a two-tier health system for me.<\/p>\n \u201cIt means that those least well off are not going to be able to be protected, which, for a country that prides itself on accessing healthcare free at the point of care, I think is wrong. And just the price of it as well is crazy.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we\u2019re doing is expanding health inequality by having the accessibility of these vaccines limited, and I think that\u2019s a real shame.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SEI_269378139_47340c.jpg\")
The Covid jab autumn scheme<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s most likely because so many were given out in such a short period. The emergency vaccine response was very condensed over a period of a few years to a very large proportion of the population, which is why it\u2019s something that\u2019s relatively straightforward to measure in terms of an event that is happening,\u201d Professor Griffin said.<\/p>\n![\"File](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SEI_129225813.jpg\")
The flu jab is available to a wider cohort of people than the Covid vaccines (Photo: David Cheskin\/PA)<\/p>\n