UK DAILY Covid deaths have hit 262 today – which is the highest rise in a week.
But coronavirus cases across the UK are still holding steady at 33,117 as brave Brits continue to get their third jabs in the battle against the virus.
Yesterday, the number of Covid deaths was 57 as figures continued to decline this week.
But the number of fatalities linked to Covid has shot up again today – with 262 deaths reported.
The total number of Covid deaths since the pandemic began now stands at a grim 143,124.
And cases have consistently been fluctuating in the 30,000s for the last six days as Brits continue to get their booster jabs against the deadly virus.
This comes as frontline NHS staff WILL be forced to get both doses of the Covid vaccine by next spring, Sajid Javid confirmed today
The Health Secretary announced a “no jab, no job” crackdown for hundreds of thousands of doctors and nurses from April 1.
About 103,000 of more than 1.4million healthcare workers in NHS England have not yet had their first Covid jab.
Mr Javid told MPs: “Having considered the consultation responses, the advice of my officials and NHS leaders including the chief executive of the NHS, I have concluded that all those working in the NHS and social care will have to be vaccinated.
“We must avoid preventable harm and protect patients in the NHS, protect colleagues in the NHS and of course protect the NHS itself.”
The decision follows a consultation which began in September and considered whether both the Covid and flu jabs should be compulsory for frontline NHS and care workers.
It’s understood the flu jab will not be made mandatory – and there will be exemptions for NHS staff who can’t get the Covid jab for medical reasons.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have not made any proposals to make Covid vaccines compulsory for NHS workers or care home staff.
An existing deadline for care home workers in England to be fully vaccinated, however, comes into place on Thursday.
The new “no jab, no job” policy will make the vaccine compulsory for all residential staff.
CASE BY CASE
But Boris Johnson was yesterday urged to delay the rules amid fears it could spark a mass closure of care homes.
Worried bosses say up to 60,000 workers could be sacked from already under-staffed homes, leading to catastrophe.
Nadra Ahmed, of the National Care Association, warned: “We are at the 11th hour, and it is a ticking timebomb.
“The damage will be far reaching, but halting this now will help us get through the winter.”
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab today said the Government must do “everything it can” to protect the most vulnerable in health care settings.
He told Good Morning Britain: “Both in the NHS and the care home setting the level of vaccination is now much, much higher than ever before, but ultimately we’ve got to make sure the lives of those people in those settings are safeguarded.
“That’s a difficult choice, that’s one of the many difficult choices we face in government. But I think we’d be getting a lot of criticism if we weren’t taking those decisions.”
More to follow…
For the latest news on this story keep checking back at Sun Online.
Thesun.co.uk is your go to destination for the best celebrity news, football news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Download our fantastic, new and improved free App for the best ever Sun Online experience. For iPhone click here, for Android click here.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesun and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
