Today, Sajid Javid said that it was a’moral wrong’ to mandate Covid vaccinations for all after Boris Johnson suggested such a move might be possible in the future.
Sky News spoke with the Health Secretary who stated that he was not interested in compulsory vaccinations. This is except for high-risk situations in the NHS or social care. We have already made clear that they will be legislating.
“Other then that, universal mandatory vaccination is not something I believe ethically. It also wouldn’t make sense on a practical level. The decision to get vaccinated must be positive.
He was asked whether January would see additional restrictions due to the holiday season’s high level of social mixing. His answer: “I don’t think so.” We have taken a very important step, and I believe it will make a significant difference.
Last night, Mr Johnson suggested jabs could eventually be made compulsory or Covid passes could be rolled out in wider society if a ‘substantial proportion of the population’ remains unvaccinated.
The PM announced the Government is now triggering its Plan B to reimpose work from home guidance, make masks compulsory in more indoor settings and require people to show a Covid pass to go to nightclubs.
These measures will be implemented across England to stop the spread of Omicron disease.
Johnson stated that a “national conversation” is necessary to discuss how the country will deal with the virus in the future.
In a suggestion that the government could not ‘keep going indefinitely without non-pharmaceutical intervention’, he said that he doesn’t believe it can.
These new initiatives could include increased outreach in areas where there is little uptake, and an extension to Covid passes for more venues.
Boris Johnson hinted last night at the possibility that mandatory coronavirus jabs or Covid pass could one day be introduced in society. Sajid javid rejected any notion of obligatory jabs today. He said that it was ‘ethically illegal’.
Johnson indicated that it was likely that there will be a national conversation about how to live with the virus going forward.
Johnson hosted a Downing Street press conference and was asked by the public whether the government could follow some European countries’ lead by mandating vaccinations.
Johnson answered a question regarding the introduction of compulsory vaccinations during the Downing Street Press Conference last night by saying: “I think that we will need to have an national discussion about how to move forward, and what other measures we can take to help those people who have not been vaccinated.
‘I don’t believe we can keep going indefinitely with non-pharmaceutical interventions – I mean restrictions on people’s way of life – just because a substantial proportion of the population still sadly has not got vaccinated.’
He continued, “I said…as soon as we began to talk about vaccinations seriously, that I didn’t want us have a culture or society where people get forced to get vaccinated.
“I don’t think this has been done in the past.
He said that a national conversation about the future is necessary if Omicron vaccines prove to be effective.
He said: ‘I think that there is going to come a point if we can show that the vaccines are capable of holding Omicron… It is clear that this conversation will be necessary about the best ways to deal with the pandemic.
“I think that there will be a need for a national conversation on the future and what other measures we can take to safeguard those people who are not easily reached, the medical reasons they are unable to get vaccinated or the ways we can protect them.
Johnson stated that he believed that ‘that stage is one that we will reach if and when… we establish… that boosters are effective against Omicron.”
He added: ‘It is at that moment that I think we will have to talk seriously about moving on from the way we, from thinking about further NPIs and thinking about other ways in which we protect people.’
Although Britain ranks among the top countries for Covid vaccinations uptake, it is still home to more than 5 million people. This equates roughly 12 per cent of all the country’s inhabitants.
New laws were enacted by the government in November. They required that all employees in the health care industry get immunized if they want to stay in their current jobs.
According to data, up to 51,000 staff at care homes were to be expelled from work on November 11, as England’s new rules took effect.
Sector was already in short supply of 100,000 workers prior to the pandemic. New rule made it impossible for thousands of employees to return home.
Care industry executives later stated that this move was not effective in increasing uptake.
Mike Padgham, chair of the Independent Care Group — which represents providers in Yorkshire, said making jabs compulsory only had ‘a little bit of an effect’ on the 1.5million-strong sector.
Sajid Javid (Health Secretary) also said that frontline NHS workers must be vaccinated before April 2013.
While Downing Street admitted that the policy could lead to a massive exodus of patients from social and health care, the government said it was necessary in order to safeguard vulnerable patients.
The Government’s own impact assessment suggests 126,000 healthcare staff — across the NHS and social care sector — are likely to be sacked when the rule is enforced.
Johnson hinted that mandatory vaccinations may be implemented just a few weeks after Ursula von der Leyen (EU Commission President) said that the time had come for bloc members to ‘think about making jabs compulsory.
A queue forms outside of a Pop-up Vaccination Centre for Covid-19 booster or vaccine in Hammersmith and Fulham, Greater London. This is December 3rd 2021.
On average, 46,000 Covid patients are diagnosed each day in the UK. Covid Genomics UK Consortium data (COG UK) shows that around 1 in 666 cases, or 1.4%, is affected by the new strain.
The highly developed variant is infecting twice as many people every day. If the current pace of Omicron infection continues, the graph above shows that Omicron cases could surpass 100,000 daily by New Year’s Day.
Pfizer’s laboratory results were based upon 20 individuals who had been double or triple-jabbed with the vaccine one month prior (left), respectively. This graph displays antibody levels against various strains of Omicron virus. According to the results, Omicron antibody levels rose 25 fold from 6, to 154 after taking the third dose. Based on data from other varieties, Pfizer stated that this results in a high efficacy. Omicron was neutralized by neutralizing antibodies after 3 jabs. Wuhan had the same level after 2 jabs. The figure for Delta was 339, but it was only 60% higher than the levels at three doses.
A Downing Street press conference was held by Mr Johnson. One member of the public asked him if he thought the Government would follow in the footsteps of European countries by mandating vaccinations.
According to her, while it is ultimately up to the member states to determine their rules, she stated that it was her personal opinion that it was time to discuss making people get jabs.
“We are missing one-third of our population who have not been vaccinated. It is 150 million people. “Not everyone can be vaccinated, but many could,” she stated.
Following Austria’s February mandate to all citizens eligible for vaccines, a coordinated EU move is possible.
When asked by a journalist if she supports making vaccinations compulsory for everyone, she answered: “First of all, it’s purely within the competence of member states – I cannot make any recommendations.
‘[But]Ask me about my personal status, and I’ll tell you: Two or three years ago, it would have been hard for me to imagine what this world is like today.
“There is a terrible pandemic in the world, however, there are life-saving vaccines that can be used to save lives, but not enough. Therefore, this huge problem for health has a high price.
The numbers show that 66% of EU citizens are vaccinated. That means only one-third of EU residents are unvaccinated.
“This number is over 150 million people. That is quite a large amount. Although not all could have vaccinated due to medical reasons and young children, the majority of them could.
“I think that it is appropriate and understandable to start this discussion now about how we might encourage mandatory vaccinations within the European Union.
“This should be discussed, it needs a common approach. However, I feel that this is an important discussion.
Yesterday’s announcement by Mr Johnson also stated that home-based guidance will return and vaccine passports are mandatory in large venues. Face coverings will be required in theatres and cinemas.
The announcement was made in conjunction with the unveiling of the plan by Health Secretary Sajid Jvid, who also presented the information to the House of Commons.
According to him, the Omicron variant was doubling in cases ‘every two days’. He also said that the number could rise to more than one million per month.
However, Mr. Javid was heckled by Tory MPs and even asked to resign. This happened because of the anger at the return restrictions that strangle the economy and the fact that the move occurred on the exact same day Downing Street faces fury about the illegal Christmas party it hosted last year.
The mandatory wearing of masks in cinemas, theatres, and other venues will continue from today. However it will no longer be required for restaurants and pubs. There will be exemptions when you are eating, drinking or exercising.
Covid’s health certificate is valid for indoor events with at least 500 guests and outdoor events that exceed 4,000 persons.
According to the Prime Minister, the test can be done with negative lateral flow testing or after two doses. But it is possible that you will pass. He also hinted at the possibility of changing his mind by saying that he would keep the matter under review until the new boosters are available.
The premier said it was necessary to move to Plan B to ‘buy time’ for the NHS and to learn more about the new strain.
He stated that Omicron was growing faster than any other Delta-type variants and spreading quickly all over the globe.
568 cases were confirmed in the UK. However, the true number could be as high as 10,000.
“Most alarmingly, evidence suggests that Omicron’s doubling time could be as short as two days.