In England, Mandatory Vaccinations For NHS Workers May Be Phased Out.
Ministers will gather later to discuss whether or not to make Covid vaccines mandatory for NHS workers in England.
Front-line NHS employees in England are required to be completely vaccinated by April 1st, which means they must have their first dosage by Thursday.
They will be redeployed or terminated if they are not jabbed by April. Around 77,000 people have received no vaccination at all.
Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, stated last week that the obligation for vaccinations was being "reviewed," but that it was the "responsibility" of NHS workers to get vaccinated.
On Tuesday, he told the Health and Social Care Select Committee that the dominant version at the time the policy was published was Delta, and that it was appropriate to "reflect" now that Omicron was the major form.
However, it is believed that no final decisions have been made.
Some in the health-care system have lobbied the government to repeal the mandate, claiming that it would result in a personnel shortage.
The Royal College of Midwives has warned that the policy could have a "catastrophic impact" on maternity services, while the Royal College of GPs and the Royal College of Nursing have also appealed for a postponement of the deadline.
The Department of Health and Social Care, on the other hand, has previously stated that the policy is "the proper thing to do to protect people."
Vaccines have been shown to be effective against hospitalization, death, infection, and transmission, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
A recent research stated, "Several studies have shown evidence that immunizations are beneficial at avoiding illness."
"Vaccines are also effective at preventing transmission because uninfected persons cannot transmit."
While any policy change would be a decision for the health secretary, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke told BBC Breakfast that "basic facts" have changed - with the Omicron variation being less severe than Delta - and that any decision would take that into consideration.