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Nearly 15% of health service workers in England remain unvaccinated, and the numbers coming forward for a jab have decreased sharply in the last two weeks, NHS figures have revealed, prompting concerns that many frontline staff are refusing the vaccine.
But health leaders, patients’ groups and unions have been quick to dismiss any suggestion of mandatory vaccinations after it emerged that Matt Hancock, the health secretary, had embarked on a plan before the pandemic to make flu vaccinations compulsory for NHS staff.
Last week, the government began a consultation on whether or not to mandate vaccinations for care-home workers, and a London NHS trust discussed making the vaccination a condition of employment.
The latest figures show that only 6,259 NHS staff in England had their first dose in the seven days before 11 April, down from 11,483 the previous week and substantially lower than the average of 22,985 per week during March. Now 190,697 workers out of 1,378,502 directly employed by the NHS remain unprotected against the coronavirus, four months after they became eligible for vaccination. The figures do not include agency workers, and will include some under-45s who are not frontline staff and are still waiting their turn.
www.theguardian.com
But health leaders, patients’ groups and unions have been quick to dismiss any suggestion of mandatory vaccinations after it emerged that Matt Hancock, the health secretary, had embarked on a plan before the pandemic to make flu vaccinations compulsory for NHS staff.
Last week, the government began a consultation on whether or not to mandate vaccinations for care-home workers, and a London NHS trust discussed making the vaccination a condition of employment.
The latest figures show that only 6,259 NHS staff in England had their first dose in the seven days before 11 April, down from 11,483 the previous week and substantially lower than the average of 22,985 per week during March. Now 190,697 workers out of 1,378,502 directly employed by the NHS remain unprotected against the coronavirus, four months after they became eligible for vaccination. The figures do not include agency workers, and will include some under-45s who are not frontline staff and are still waiting their turn.
Fears frontline NHS staff are refusing to get Covid vaccine
Concerns grow after sharp drop in numbers coming forward, with almost 15% of staff still unprotected
www.theguardian.com
