Contributions
535 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDVaccination StrategyI reassure the right hon. Gentleman that we are doing what we can to ensure that people get vaccinated. Some of the stats speak for themselves: people are eight times more likely…12 Jan 2022HANSARDVaccination StrategyThe hon. Gentleman makes a good point about ensuring that rural communities have access to vaccines, and that is exactly what we have done through our programme. We have made sure…12 Jan 2022HANSARDVaccination StrategyI completely agree with my right hon. Friend that persuasion is the right way to go. That is why the uptake went up tremendously among care home staff and since we implemented the…12 Jan 2022HANSARDVaccination StrategyThe fact that the hon. Lady has asked that question demonstrates that this is quite a complex matter. NHS England is looking into it, to work out the best way to roll out the…12 Jan 2022HANSARDVaccination StrategyI do not recognise the data given by the right hon. Gentleman. We have already invested £465 million in a recruitment and retention programme for care home staff. It is important…12 Jan 2022HANSARDVaccination StrategyMy hon. Friend makes a good point about daily testing, which is being carried out with certain cohorts of the workforce. The UKHSA continues to monitor the best way to ensure that…12 Jan 2022HANSARDVaccination StrategyI would like to reassure my hon. Friend that that will be the case. I have met a number of the charities concerned in this area, and I will continue to have meetings with those…12 Jan 2022HANSARDVaccination StrategyAs I understand it, the location of vaccination sites in the devolved nations is the responsibility of those nations. I can only speak for England in that regard, so the hon.…12 Jan 2022HANSARDVaccination StrategyThe hon. Lady makes a very good point, and it is not the first time the issue has been raised with me. We had that situation in the run-up to Christmas, and we are obviously now…12 Jan 2022HANSARDVaccination StrategyAs my hon. Friend said, to date over 93% of NHS staff have had their first jab. I want to put out a plea. We already have vaccination as a condition of deployment in the care…12 Jan 2022HANSARDVaccination StrategyMy hon. Friend makes a very good point. I think what we have achieved in the last year is incredible, and we know that we can improve things such as booking services, which is one…12 Jan 2022HANSARDVaccination StrategyIt is quite clear that the vaccine does reduce transmission. It is a matter of protecting the individual, but in these settings there are also some very vulnerable people who can…12 Jan 2022HANSARDVaccination StrategyMisinformation costs lives. It is totally inappropriate, and there is no place for it in our society. As the hon. Lady rightly highlights, testing centres have also been attacked,…12 Jan 2022HANSARDVaccination StrategyI, too, pay tribute to the work of Kate Bingham. Without her leadership, we would be in a worse position in regard to vaccines. The hon. Gentleman has raised the issue of Valneva…12 Jan 2022HANSARDVaccination StrategyIt is important to go back to some of the stats I set out earlier. Those who are unvaccinated are eight times more likely to be hospitalised, and more than 60% of people in…12 Jan 2022HANSARDVaccination StrategyI thank my hon. Friend for her role in vaccinating probably thousands of people by now. Everybody has played their part, using their skills and their time to roll out the…12 Jan 2022HANSARDVaccination StrategyThose who are clinically extremely vulnerable or immunosuppressed have already been offered a booster, so they have already received four doses. As I said earlier, at the end of…12 Jan 2022HANSARDVaccination StrategyWhen we protect ourselves by having a vaccination, we protect others. My hon. Friend mentioned omicron, but we have seen other variants before, and we will no doubt see more in…12 Jan 2022HANSARDVaccination StrategyWe have our plans in place. We have our vaccination programme, our testing, and our antivirals. Part of the purpose of the vaccination programme is to ensure that some of the most…12 Jan 2022HANSARDVaccination StrategyI wish the hon. Gentleman a happy birthday for yesterday. He does not look a year older than 59—just one day older. He makes a good point. The JCVI, which provides advice for…12 Jan 2022