Labour is calling for keyworkers in critical professions to be
added to the first phase of the vaccination programme, alongside
JCVI categories 5-9. This comes as pressed the Prime Minister to vaccinate teachers and
support staff in February half-term as part of a national effort
to get children back in the classroom.
As deaths from the virus reached the tragic 100,000 milestone,
Labour is calling for a faster, wider, vaccination programme
where keyworkers most at risk of exposure are prioritised
alongside those most likely to become seriously ill. Labour’s
call for an expanded first-phase would see the JCVI draw up a
list of critical workers prioritised for the vaccine alongside
over 50s, 60s, and people with underlying health conditions.
Labour wants to see teachers and support staff vaccinated in the
February half-term as part of a national effort to reopen
schools. There is growing evidence that vaccination can
reducetransmission, meaning school classes would not be disrupted
due to teachers testing positive for the virus.
The call comes as this week the ONS published new statistics
showing that those who work in settings with regular exposure to
Covid-19 and in close proximity to others have higher Covid-19
death rates when compared to the rest of the population. While
the first phase of vaccination roll out has been rightly been
focused on reducing deaths and hospitalisations, labour are
calling for vaccinations for keyworkers most exposed and most
likely to transmit the virus, once those at highest risk of
severe illness are most protected by mid-February.
, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Health
and Social Care, said:
“The NHS rightly deserve congratulations for their impressive and
speedy roll out of vaccinations. But now we need to go further
and faster. Not only will vaccination acceleration save lives it
will help us to carefully and responsibly reopen our economy and
crucially ensure children are back in school as transmission
reduces.”
“Ministers must bring forward plans to vaccinate key workers as
soon as possible. Police officers, teachers, fire fighters and
transport workers are just some of the key workers who have kept
society functioning through this pandemic and are more exposed to
the virus. We cannot afford to slow our vaccination efforts now.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- ONS statistics show that approximately 6.2 million key
workers would benefit from being moved up the priority list
- In 2019, 10.6 million of those employed (33% of the total
workforce) were in key worker occupations and industries.
- 7.3 million (69%) work outside of health and social care
- 15% of key workers have an underlying health condition
which leaves them at moderate risk of the virus. These key
workers will be included in priority group 6. Assuming these
underlying health conditions are split evenly across the key
worker workforce, 6.2 million key workers would be excluded
from phase 1 of the vaccine roll out.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/articles/coronavirusandkeyworkersintheuk/2020-05-15#main-points
- Examples of critical workers that should be prioritised
include transport workers, those working in supermarkets, police,
firefighters, prison staff, teachers and school staff
- ONS statistics published on 25 January show that jobs with
regular exposure to COVID-19 and those working in close proximity
to others continue to have higher COVID-19 death rates when
compared with the rest of the working age population. Examples of
jobs in categories with statistically higher rates of death from
Covid-19 include machine plant operatives, security guards and
food and drink workers, taxi drivers, chefs, construction workers
and bus drivers. retail workers and social workers.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/bulletins/coronaviruscovid19relateddeathsbyoccupationenglandandwales/deathsregisteredbetween9marchand28december2020
- Labour have previously called for the Government to vaccinate
at least 4 million people a week in February. If this were
achieved key workers could be vaccinated alongside those in
priority groups 5 – 9
