Teachers have hit back at people criticising them for receiving a coronavirus jab after a booking link was sent out "in error".

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Staff in parts of east Kent were invited to receive their first Pfizer dose over the weekend and upon confirming the message was genuine were able to book a slot on an NHS website, selecting 'teacher' from the drop down menu in the process.

But it transpired the link had gone out in error, a spokesman for Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) saying: "We have been informed that a link for health and care staff to book Covid-19 vaccines has been shared within some schools and via WhatsApp groups.

"The link was shared in error and we are clarifying this through messages to all school leadership teams."

Many staff who turned up on Saturday received the jab and were invited to book a follow up appointment in 12 weeks.

Appointments then started to be cancelled with an apology issued when staff who had turned up in good faith were turned away.

The priority system in place means the top four priority groups (those aged 70 and above, the clinically extremely vulnerable and frontline health workers) will be offered the jab first, with the government hoping to vaccinate the almost 15 million in those categories before mid February.

After that point those from 50 upwards and the clinically vulnerable from 16 to 64 will be offered the jab before the remaining adult population are invited in Spring, with teachers and other frontline staff likely to be prioritised at that point.

But last week we reported how teachers in Sittingbourne were offered jabs early in order to avoid wastage.

However, the appointments over the weekend involved fresh doses.

The booking mishap saw some criticise those who took up the offer, but as many pointed out those people did so in good faith.

Kelly Walker wrote: "The link sent was to the patient access portal, not a secret NHS only link. Once you logged in to the patient access portal and added your job title a message then came up with an invite for you to book an appointment . No school staff lied or tried to jump any queues. The website even stated who could book and it included a list with keyworkers and school staff. This mistake lies fully with the NHS ICT team who set up the website. It’s sad that it’s being blamed on school staff trying to jump the queue sharing secret websites. Hopefully no vaccines are wasted."

Another commented on KentOnline's article: "There is a lot a of confusion about this error. I was sent the link and signed up. Teachers and teaching staff were on the list on the NHS website. I had a jab... not knowing this was a mistake. Don't rant at teaching staff, they just did what they were asked to do. In the grand scheme of vaccines only a small proportion of us were vaccinated, and while we could have turned it down and I asked if they needed it for someone else, they said that at that short notice they wouldn't have been able to fill the appointment, and with it having such a short lifespan after it had been taken from a minus 70 degree holding area it would be wasted.

"Don't blame teaching staff... and if teaching staff have been vaccinated it means your children can come back to a safer school environment."

Meanwhile a row rages over whether teachers and other frontline staff should be pushed up the priority list, with the Labour party among those arguing that they should and that February half term should be used to vaccinate all teachers and school staff.

Care minister and Faversham and Mid Kent MP Helen Whately this morning stood by the current priority groupings, saying it was based on the advice "to save the most lives."

The current vaccination system is designed to ease the pressure on the NHS by preventing the most vulnerable getting seriously ill. As such priority is given based on those more at risk health-wise, with health staff included due to their close proximity to and prolonged contact with Covid cases.

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