LONDON (AP) – The British government announced that all health personnel who have contact with people should have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by April, despite fears that thousands of people will respond to the measure by renouncing his work.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said Tuesday that 90% of the state’s National Health Service staff have already received two doses of a vaccine, but that means more than 100,000 workers in the sector are not vaccinated.
Javid told the House of Commons that while the vaccine is not mandatory for most people, healthcare workers have “a unique responsibility” because they are in contact with the people most vulnerable to the disease.
He said the order will only take effect from April 1 to give all staff time to receive the doses. There will be exemptions for medical reasons and for staff who have no contact with people.
The change applies only to England, as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own rules.
Unions voiced opposition to mandatory vaccinations because some workers could resign from a health system already afflicted by staff shortages.
Labor Party health spokesman Jonathan Ashworth said “a move, commendable in principle, could exacerbate some of these chronic staff shortages.”
The government already requires nursing home staff to be vaccinated and the deadline is Thursday. Javid said that since the order was announced, the number of unvaccinated sector workers fell from 82,000 to 32,000.
Britain was one of the first countries in the world to start the coronavirus vaccination campaign, but after a strong initial push it has started to lag behind. About 80% of those over 12 years of age are fully vaccinated.
