Vaccine passports will not be mandatory for entry to shops or pubs in England, the Transport Secretary has said.
A tweak to the wording on the NHS Covid Pass section of the NHS app has raised concerns.
It now includes a “domestic” section, which states: “You may need to show your NHS Covid Pass at places that have chosen to use the service.”
Asked on ITV’s Good Morning Britain about concerns over vaccine passports being required for entry into certain places, Grant Shapps said: “I don’t know why this is particularly controversial – nine out of 10 people have had their first vaccinations and are going on to have their second, so most people have already had their vaccinations anyway – and I’m talking about adults who have had their vaccinations anyway.
“So, for most people this doesn’t matter one way or the other. It does protect not just your life but other people’s lives when you get vaccinated, so of course, as a society, we should be encouraging it.
“We won’t go as far as requiring it to enter a shop or the pub, we will for very close contact things like going to nightclubs – other countries are for international travel – so I think there is precious little reason not to be vaccinated, every good reason to be vaccinated. Why wouldn’t we want to save lives? It’s just obvious to me.”
Elsewhere, figures from Public Health England estimated Covid vaccines have prevented an estimated 22 million infections and 60,000 deaths in England.
The data also suggested jabs are estimated to have directly averted more than 52,600 hospital admissions.
The figures were published as England’s deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, said he hoped the worst of the pandemic was over in the UK, while warning there could be “one or two bumpy periods” ahead.
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