Gas crisis could ‘blow Covid winter plans out the water’

THE UK’s gas crisis could “blow Covid winter plans out the water”, an expert has warned.

The shortage of CO2 gas is causing fears that the vaccines needed for teens and booster rollout will be affected.

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It comes after it was confirmed local authorities have retained special powers to plunge areas back into Covid restrictions if cases rise.

Officials monitor the supply of gas but insist that dry Ice, which is essential for keeping the jabs cooled, will not be affected.

Experts are concerned about the CO2 shortage, which has resulted from supply chain problems and low solar and wind production.

A senior scientific adviser to the Government told the i if the rollout was to keep going, CO2 would have to be diverted from other sectors.

They warned that this could cause shortages in hospitals, the economy, and home energy supplies.

They said unless the Government cam “lay it hands on enough CO2 for the vaccines” then its Plan A would be “blown out of the water” – with the country forced to go straight to Plan B.

This would require the return of face masks, social distancing and work from home for most people.

The government laid out Plan A which heavily relies on vaccines.

Children over 12 can now get one dose of a Covid vaccine, and the rollout of booster jabs for over-50s has begun.

This should be sufficient to prevent the spread of the pandemic in the winter months.

A Government spokesperson said: “We are confident the COVID-19 vaccination programme will not be impacted by this issue.

“We continue to monitor supplies across critical sectors and are in regular contact with industry, food and health and care sectors on their CO2 supplies.”

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Pfizer, which is the main player in the latest stages of vaccine rollouts, needs to be kept at -70C,

If CO2 shortages continues, there is concern the delivery and storage of the huge amounts of ordered vaccine ahead of the winter will be affected.

The jab is only safe to keep at refrigerator temperatures for one month. However, the Department of Health stated that dry ice supply will not be affected because the government uses pre-agreed quantities.

Industry experts yesterday also warned that supermarkets are two weeks away from running out of meat made in Britain.

It is also used to prolong the shelf life of meat by packaging it.

And there are fears of a draught beer shortage within weeks as the gas puts the fizz into our pints, at the same time that the price of a pint could go up by 25p.