Oral statement on vaccines as a condition of deployment
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Sajid Javid updated Parliament on vaccines as a condition of deployment
Mr Deputy Speaker, with permission, I바카라 사이트™d like to update the House on vaccination as a condition of deployment.
Last Thursday, we woke up to a new phase of this pandemic, as we returned to Plan A.
People are no longer advised to work from home.
Face coverings are no longer mandatory.
Organisations no longer have to require the NHS Covid Pass.
And from today, there바카라 사이트™s no limit on the number of visitors allowed to care homes.
Week by week, we are carefully moving our COVID response from one of rules and restrictions, back to one of personal responsibility.
We바카라 사이트™re able to do this because of the defences we바카라 사이트™ve built throughout this pandemic 바카라 사이트“ in vaccines and antivirals, in testing and surveillance.
We know of course that COVID-19 is here to stay.
While some countries remain stuck on a zero-COVID strategy and others think about how they will safely open up here, we바카라 사이트™re showing the way forward, and showing the world what successfully living with COVID looks like.
The principle we바카라 사이트™re applying is the same principle that바카라 사이트™s guided our actions throughout this pandemic: and that is to achieve the maximum protection of public health with the minimum intrusion in people바카라 사이트™s everyday lives.
To me, this is what learning to live with COVID is all about.
Even with this progress, Mr Deputy Speaker, we must of course remain vigilant.
While overall cases and hospitalisations continue to fall, we are seeing rises in cases in primary and secondary school children.
Part of living with COVID means living with new variants and subvariants.
Our world-class health surveillance operations are currently keeping a close watch on a subvariant of Omicron, called BA.2 which the UK Health Security Agency has marked as a 바카라 사이트˜variant under investigation바카라 사이트™, one level below a 바카라 사이트˜variant of concern바카라 사이트™.
1,072 genomically confirmed cases of BA.2 have been identified in England.
While early data from Denmark suggests that BA.2 may be more transmissible, there is currently no evidence that it is any more severe.
In addition, an initial analysis of vaccine effectiveness against BA.2 reveals a similar level of protection to symptomatic infection compared to BA.1, the original variant of Omicron, which underlines once again the need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and the imperative to get the booster if you바카라 사이트™re eligible.
Mr Deputy Speaker, nowhere is vaccination more important than in our health and social care system.
Throughout this pandemic, we바카라 사이트™ve always put the safety of vulnerable people first 바카라 사이트“ and we always will do.
It has always been this government바카라 사이트™s expectation that everyone gets vaccinated against COVID-19, especially those people working in health and social care settings, who have a professional duty to do so.
When designing policy there will always be a balance of opportunities and risks and responsible policy making must take that balance into account.
When we consulted on vaccination as a condition of deployment in the NHS and wider social care settings, the evidence showed that vaccine effectiveness against infection from the dominant Delta variant has been, or was, between 65% and 80%, depending on which vaccines you had received.
It was clear that vaccination was the very best way to keep vulnerable people safe from Delta because quite simply, if you바카라 사이트™re not infected, you can바카라 사이트™t infect someone else.
Balanced against this clear benefit was the risk that there would always be some people who would not do the responsible thing and choose to remain unvaccinated and in doing so, choosing to walk away from their jobs in health and care.
Despite it being their choice to leave their jobs, we have to consider the impact on the workforce in NHS and social care settings. Especially at a time when we already had a shortage of workers and near full employment across the economy.
In December, I argued 바카라 사이트“ and this House overwhelmingly agreed 바카라 사이트“ that the weight of clinical evidence in favour of vaccination as a condition of deployment outweighed the risks to the workforce.
It was the right policy at the time 바카라 사이트“ supported by the clinical evidence 바카라 사이트“ and the government makes no apology for it.
It has also proven to be the right policy in retrospect 바카라 사이트“ given the severity of Delta.
Since we launched the consultation on vaccination as a condition of deployment in the NHS and wider social care settings in September, there has been a net increase of 127,000 people working in the NHS who have done the right thing and got jabbed, becoming part of the 19 out of 20 NHS workers who have done their professional duty.
During the same time, we have also seen a net increase of 32,000 people getting jabbed in social care including 22,000 people in care homes and 10,000 people working in domiciliary care.
I바카라 사이트™m grateful to the millions of health and care colleagues who have come forward and done the right thing 바카라 사이트“ and the health and care leaders who have supported them.
Together, they바카라 사이트™ve played a vital part in raising our wall of protection even higher and keeping thousands of vulnerable people out of hospital this summer.
When we laid these regulations last November, the Delta variant represented 99% of infections.
A few short weeks later, we discovered Omicron, which has now become the dominant variant in the UK, representing over 99% of infections.
Incredibly, over a third of the UK바카라 사이트™s total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases have happened in just the last 8 weeks.
Given that Delta has been replaced, it바카라 사이트™s then only right that our policy on vaccination as a condition of deployment is reviewed.
So, I asked for fresh advice, including from the UK Health Security Agency and England바카라 사이트™s Chief Medical Officer. In weighing up the risks and opportunities of this policy once again, there are 2 new factors.
The first is that our population as a whole is now better protected against hospitalisation from COVID-19. Omicron바카라 사이트™s increased infectiousness meant that at the peak of the recent winter spike, 1 in 15 people had a COVID-19 infection, according to the ONS.
Around 24% of England바카라 사이트™s population has had at least one positive COVID-19 test. And as of today, in England, 84% of people over 12 have had a primary course of COVID-19 vaccines and 64% have been boosted - including over 90% of over 50s.
The second factor is that the dominant variant 바카라 사이트“ Omicron 바카라 사이트“ is intrinsically less severe.
When taken together with the first factor 바카라 사이트“ that we now have greater population protection 바카라 사이트“ the evidence shows that the risk of presentation to emergency care or hospital admission with Omicron is approximately half of that for Delta.
Given these dramatic changes, it is not only right but responsible to revisit the balance of risks and opportunities that guided our original decision last year.
While vaccination remains our very best line of defence against COVID-19, I believe it is no longer proportionate to require vaccination as a condition of deployment through statute.
So, Madam Deputy Speaker, today I am announcing that we will launch a consultation on ending vaccination as a condition of deployment in health and all social care settings.
Subject to the responses 바카라 사이트“ and the will of this House 바카라 사이트“ the government will revoke the regulations.
I have always been clear that our rules must remain proportionate and balanced 바카라 사이트“ and of course, should we see another dramatic change in the virus, it would be responsible to review this policy again.
Some basic facts remain: vaccines save lives, and everyone working in health and social care has a professional duty to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
So, while we will seek to end vaccination as a condition of deployment in health and social care settings using statute, I am taking the following steps:
First, I have written to professional regulators operating across health to ask them to urgently review current guidance to registrants on vaccinations, including COVID-19, to emphasise their professional responsibilities in this area.
Second, I have asked the NHS to review its policies on the hiring of new staff and the deployment of existing staff, taking into account their vaccination status.
And third, I바카라 사이트™ve asked my officials to consult on updating my department바카라 사이트™s code of practice, which applies to all CQC registered providers of all healthcare and social care in England.
They will consult on strengthening requirements in relation to COVID-19 including reflecting the latest advice on infection prevention control.
Finally, Madam Deputy Speaker, our vital work to promote uptake of the vaccine will continue and I바카라 사이트™m sure the whole House will join me in thanking NHS trusts and care homes for their relentless efforts to put patient safety first.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I wish to thank the Shadow Health Secretary and the party opposite for their support of the government바카라 사이트™s approach to this policy area.
One of the reasons we have some of the highest vaccine uptake rates in the world is because of the confidence in our vaccines that comes from this place 바카라 사이트“ from all sides of this House.
We may not agree on everything but when it comes to vaccination, together, we have put the national interest first.
It is now in our national interest to embark on this new phase of the pandemic where we keep the British people safe while showing the world how we can successfully live with COVID-19.
I commend this statement to the House.