So why have 27% of care workers NOT had vaccine?
ONE in four care home staff still have not been vaccinated, it emerged yesterday.
NHS figures show hundreds of thousands of social care workers have yet to receive their first dose – despite being in the top priority group for the vaccine.
Health officials have launched a drive to encourage workers in the sector to be jabbed amid concerns about low take-up.
Just 73 per cent of staff in homes for older adults have received their first dose, data released by NHS England showed.
Four in ten of those working in people’s own homes or in residential care for younger adults have still not been vaccinated.
Uptake is much higher among doctors and nurses, with 93 per
‘We have to fight misinformation’
cent of frontline staff immunised. A ministerial review of jab passports is expected to look at whether care home staff could be legally obliged to be vaccinated.
Liz Kendall, Labour spokesman for social care, called for a strategy to increase the ‘worryingly low’ uptake in some groups.
She said: ‘Ministers promised all social care staff would be vaccinated by mid-February...[they] should work closely with care providers, local councils and trade unions to tackle lies and misinformation about the vaccine and ensure the easiest possible access to jabs in the local community.’
Almost 21million people in the UK have now received their first dose, including 93.6 per cent of over-65s in England.
NHS bosses have written to all local authorities asking them to focus efforts on boosting vaccination rates in social care.
They are most concerned about high levels of vaccine hesitancy among black and ethnic minority (BAME) people, fuelled by ‘antivaxx’ messages on social media.
Yesterday, 150 BAME Tory and Labour councillors released videos urging people to get the jab.
Tory councillor Gurjit Kaur Bains said: ‘We all have a duty to protect our communities and fight misinformation. The message is clear, the vaccine is safe, it will protect you and your family.
‘We all have a role to play so I urge everyone to have conversations with their own friends and families about the importance of taking the vaccine. Let’s work together and fight this virus.’
HORSES and cattle are among dozens of mammals that may have the potential to catch Covid, a study suggests.
Researchers at Imperial College London analysed whether certain animals had the correct ‘receptors’ to enable the virus to infect their cells.
Results, published in the journal PNAS, reveal 44 mammal species have the socalled ACE2 receptor.
The list includes sperm whales, gorillas, horses, goats, hamsters, cattle, pandas and leopards. Animals which did not seem to have the ACE2 receptors include marmosets, koalas, mice and squirrel monkeys. The researchers warn their findings are based on cells cultures in a laboratory, and not real-world experiments.
But their results are consistent with previous known cases where cats, ferrets and mink picked up the virus.
The team said their study suggests that coronavirus might be more widely distributed than previously thought and highlights the need for regular animal testing.