Government set to ‘scrap’ mandatory vaccines for NHS and social care workers

The government is set to scrap its plans to introduce mandatory Covid vaccines for NHS and social care workers, according to the latest reports.

Sajid Javid has come under increasing pressure to get rid of the requirement for health workers in England to be vaccinated by April, with the government set for another U-turn.

According to reports there are fears the move will lead to a major staffing crisis.

Javid is set to meet ministers today as part of the Covid-Operations Cabinet committee, where it is expected they will confirm backing down on the policy, The Daily Telegraph reports.

According to The Telegraph, the government wants to scrap mandatory jabs as Omicron is milder than previous variants.

Some Tory MPs welcomed the reports, with Andrew Rosindell tweeting that Javid had made ‘the right decision’.

He wrote: “These free-thinking NHS workers’ jobs are saved and quite right too. Well done all those who had the courage to stand up for the values of a free society!”

Gov.uk

The news comes despite the Department of Health and Social Care saying just last Monday that they had no plans to change the policy.

On Tuesday, however, the health secretary conceded that the policy is being ‘kept under review’.

He added that the original plans for compulsory vaccines were made when Delta was dominant, but now ‘almost all’ cases are Omicron which is ‘intrinsically less severe’.