UK Health Secretary Wants To Make Covid Vaccinations Mandatory For NHS Staff

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UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid wants to force all frontline NHS staff to get vaccinated against Covid..

AS Government ministers are reportedly planning to enact laws to make the jabs mandatory for all NHS workers, Javid is said to be keen on making it a condition of employment “as soon as possible”.

He said the move would take a while to come into force as it would need to be approved by Parliament, but he indicated it could take weeks rather than months.

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The Sunday Times reports: He believes the move would protect vulnerable patients from catching the virus in hospital, but health groups have warned that it could force trusts to fire staff or remove them from frontline duties. In England, 106,351 NHS staff have still not been vaccinated, about 7 per cent of the total.

Javid is also preparing to roll out booster jabs to the under-50s after Christmas, although they have yet to be approved by experts on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

The Health Secretary, who has set up a “war room” and is chairing daily meetings on the Covid crisis, has drawn up new measures to ease pressure on the NHS and curb surging Covid cases, which last week surpassed 50,000 in a day for the first time in three months. …

A source close to Javid claimed he has not ruled out another national lockdown. However, it is understood that [Boris] Johnson does not want any new Covid restrictions until after COP26, the climate change summit that begins in Glasgow next weekend. “No one wants to spook the horses,” said a source. …

Javid has refused to pause a requirement for care home staff to be fully vaccinated by November 11th, despite claims that it could lead to up to 100,000 of them quitting.