Covid PM urges five million to get jab as winter virus plan unveiled
BORIS Johnson has appealed to the five million people who have not taken up the offer of a Covid vaccine to finally get the jab, in an effort to avoid tougher restrictions over the winter.
As the Prime Minister launched his plan to “live” with the disease through the coming months yesterday, his chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, said getting vaccination levels up was the key to maintaining lighter controls.
At the same time, Professor Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England, launched a stinging attack on people who deliberately peddled “myths” about the supposed dangers of the jab knowing they were untrue.
“In my view, they should be ashamed,” he said.
Earlier, Health Secretary Sajid Javid confirmed that all over-50s in the UK – as well as those in other vulnerable groups – would be offered a booster shot to maintain protection levels as the country enters the autumn.
Mr Johnson said he hoped the vaccination programme meant the UK could remain “one of the most free societies” in Europe, with only limited restrictions to keep the disease in check.
However, he stressed the Government stood ready with a “plan B” for England if the disease took off again over the coming months.
He said it could include mandatory Covid certification – so-called vaccine passports – as well as the return of face masks in public places and encouraging people to work from home.
Sir Patrick said that, if additional measures were required, it was essential that ministers acted swiftly and did not wait for the numbers to run out of control.
“When you make a move, you have to go earlier than you think you want to, you have to go harder than you think you want to and you have need to make sure you have got the right geographical coverage,” he said.
“So, if this goes in the wrong direction and cases go up, followed by hospitalisations, it’s important that the measures are put in place early enough and they are significant enough.”
If the country had gone into last winter – before the vaccinations were available – with the current level of restrictions, cases would, he said, have gone “through the roof”.
He said it underlined the importance of getting the vaccine to as many people as possible.
“There are five million or so people who are eligible for vaccines now who haven’t been vaccinated,” he said.
“Trying to persuade those people it is the right thing to do to get vaccinated would make a significant difference.
“The immunity is really important to keep this down and allows lighter measures to be put in place to keep it under control.”
Mr Johnson added that the “priority” was to get those people vaccinated, insisting that it was in their own interests to get protected.
“It will be good for you. You are overwhelmingly more likely, sadly, to die or suffer serious disease if you haven’t been vaccinated,” he said. The PM said he was not in favour of vaccine passports for pubs, but that in certain settings they could allow businesses to stay open.