(Bloomberg) --
Surgeries in England are postponing flu jab appointments as transport disruptions delay deliveries by as many as two weeks.
Key vaccine maker Seqirus wrote to clinics warning about the delays due to “unforeseen road freight challenges,” and recommended not booking any appointments until planned deliveries were confirmed, the Guardian reported. The letter didn't explain whether the delay was related to a shortage of truck drivers, the newspaper said.
“We just can't plan ahead now because we're not sure when they're going to come,” David Wrigley, deputy chair of the British Medical Association, told the BBC. “The BMA are calling for the government to take some action and say ‘why are there no contingency plans in place for such scenarios?'”
A shortage of truck drivers -- partly due to the Covid-19 pandemic -- has hit supply chains across industries including retail and hospitality in recent months. An Aug. 26 report showed about 7% of U.K. businesses weren't able to get the goods or services needed from within the U.K. in the previous two weeks, while stock levels at many firms were below normal.
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