Legal Issues Arising Out of Medical Priority Decision Making

Abstract

1. The current phase of the pandemic is presenting profound challenges for all parts of the NHS. At times, over 1000 people a day have been dying of Covid-19 and new and more virulent strains have appeared at various times. The country has spent long periods in lockdown and the only hope for return to normality is a mass vaccination programme using one of the (now) three approved vaccines. But the challenges of the logistics of delivering that type of vaccination programme cannot be underestimated, as well as securing the vaccines on such a mass scale.