Police issue warning over COVID-19 vaccine scams

Police have recently issued a warning for all UK residents to be aware of any criminal scams related to coronavirus vaccines.

Greater Manchester Police recently issues the message saying anyone eligible for the vaccine should hang up the phone if they are contacted over the phone asking for cash.

The GMP have assured that doctors will not ask for anything more than a name when booking and confirming vaccine appointments and if clients are asked for any personal details then it is best to assume it is a scam.

A post on the GMP Middleton Facebook page has already set out to warn the public:

Criminals are already taking advantage of the #Covid19 #vaccine. When your GP calls to book you in for a vaccination, they will confirm your name and not ask for any more details. They certainly won't ask for payment! If someone is asking for cash, hang up. #ScamAware.

Rapid vaccine rollout across the country

The criminal activity warnings come as the NHS is set to ramp up the vaccination programme this week to welcome the new Oxford/AstraZeneca jab.

Hundreds of new vaccination sites are expected to be popping up, joining the 700 that are already open, as 530,000 doses of the UK vaccine were made available from Monday the 4th of January.

For the first few days, the new jab will be administered in hospitals for surveillance purposed but will very soon be made available through GP services.

The UK has also ordered a total of 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine in order to immunise 50 million Uk residents. However, second doses of all vaccines have also now been extended from four to twelve weeks in order to allow for more residents to access their first jab.

And, just one month after the Pfizer rollout, one million people have already had their first round of the jab. Health Secretary Matt Hancock spoke about the vaccines last week stating:

We can say now with confidence that we can get out of this by spring.

Hancock also highlighted that just because hope is on the horizon, doesn’t mean that we should be abandoning coronavirus safety measures:

It is going to be a difficult few weeks ahead. We can see the pressures right now on the NHS and it is absolutely critical that people follow the rules and do everything they can to stop the spread, particularly of the new variant of this virus that transmits so much faster.

The news of the new vaccine came just days before the country was plunged into yet another national lockdown, forbidding people from leaving home without a ‘reasonable excuse’. Measures are expected to stay in place until at least mid-February.