Did Boris ‘bluff ’ help vaccines to kill off immunity passport plans?

When Boris Johnson vowed to introduce vaccine passports by the autumn, there seemed little that might dissuade him from pursuing the plan, which he called “a matter of social responsibility”.

Now, although ministers have not entirely ruled out immunity certification it will not go ahead this month as promised.

So, what changed the Government’s mind?

Figures released yesterday by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) may provide the answer. Between the Prime Minister’s press conference on July 19 and the end of August, vaccination rates in the 16- to 24-yearold cohort, in England, have shot up from 53 per cent to 73 per cent.

Antibody tests show that nearly nine in 10 people aged 16 to 24 carry antibodies to coronavirus, either from having had a jab or from a previous infection. Antibody rates are even higher in the 24- to 34 cohort, with more than 95 per cent now carrying some protection. Vaccine rates among this group have also risen slightly in recent weeks – to 91 per cent.

Such high levels of protection against the virus in younger people means that vaccine passports are now unlikely to reduce the infection rate a great deal.

The ONS figures are also more than a fortnight out of date, so vaccination and antibody rates are likely to have increased again in that time.

“The number of people with antibodies remains high across the UK adult population, with younger adults experiencing the largest increase since the end of June,” said Sarah Crofts, head of analytical outputs for the ONS Covid-19 infection survey.

“This is most likely due to more people in this group being vaccinated, but some will have developed antibodies from infection during wave three.”

Vaccines have also been given the green light for 12- to 15-year-olds since the Prime Minister’s press conference..

Vaccine passports were mooted at a time when the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) had ruled out offering vaccinations to under-16s.

There are around 13 million under16s in Britain, so even with a 100 per cent vaccine uptake in that cohort only 80 per cent of the total population could ever be vaccinated, making it vital to get jabs in the arms of as many over-16s as possible.

But, this week, the Health Secretary said that the rollout will now include children over the age of 12, which could have a major impact on reaching the elusive goal of herd immunity.

Booster jabs – also given the go ahead this week – should tackle the problem of waning antibody immunity in older people and keep overall protection high.

Cynics may argue that the Government never intended to introduce the scheme and made the announcement to encourage more youngsters to take up the offer of vaccination.

It was certainly never popular among Tory backbenchers or with the nightclub sector, which warned the policy could leave it open to charges of discrimination.

Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, said the idea was “divisive, unworkable and expensive”.