COVID-19 VACCINE TO BECOME MANDATORY FOR NHS WORKERS, HEALTH SECRETARY SAYS

Tue 09 November 2021:

NHS personnel in England will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 beginning in April, according to UK health secretary Sajid Javid, who announced in the House of Commons on Tuesday.

“I have concluded that all those working in the NHS and social care will have to be vaccinated,” said Javid.

“We must avoid preventable harm and protect patients in the NHS, protect colleagues in the NHS and of course protect the NHS itself,” he added.

He said there would be exemptions for people who do not have face-to-face contact with patients and for people who are medically exempt.

The Department of Health and Social Care reported that while 93 percent of NHS staff nationwide have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the rate in some trusts is as low as 84 percent.

People working in nursing homes are already required to be vaccinated as of November 11.

The decision to require vaccines for health professionals comes as the United Kingdom reports 32,000 new cases and 57 deaths.

The United Kingdom reported 142,000 COVID-19-related deaths, the second-highest amount in Europe after Russia.

COVID-19 vaccines are already required for health professionals in some European countries, including Italy and France.

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