The UK Government will make COVID vaccination mandatory for care home workers, with the possibility that NHS workers will also be required to get the jab
According to The Guardian, the Government will move to make COVID vaccination a must-have for all care home workers, with the possibility of extending this measure to all NHS workers.
Care homes will experience a loosening of social distancing rules when ‘unlockdown’ is complete. In the first wave, thousands of care home residents died due to COVID positive patients being transferred back to homes from hospitals.
Delta creates extra fears for vulnerable people
On Monday, a Scottish study found that the Delta variant was twice as likely as the Alpha variant to hospitalise people. The UK is currently delaying plans to suspend further social distancing measures due to a rising rate of infection, largely from the new, stronger variant. The delay is intended to give as many vulnerable adults as possible time to get both injections of COVID vaccine.
The move will be seen as controversial by those who remain vaccine hesitant. Here, we looked at five reasons why some people remain wary of taking the COVID vaccine.
There are some common misconceptions about the potential of the vaccines to impact fertility, and there is some general concern about a highly rare form of blood clot that can happen to those taking a non-mRNA vaccine.
‘Incredibly important’, says Cabinet minister
Cabinet minister Liz Truss, speaking to Sky News, said: “We are currently consulting on this issue. What we do know is that it’s incredibly important that staff in care homes are vaccinated.”
The social care sector faced shockwaves over the course of the pandemic, as several people became unpaid carers to prevent their vulnerable loved ones from catching the virus. The Health Foundation estimates an extra £1.9 billion will be needed to support the adult social care sector by 2024.
Consultations for the move are expected to launch soon. While this applies to care home workers, the next step being suggested is to ask all NHS workers to take the vaccine in order to prevent infection among vulnerable patients.
