The Government should roll out the vaccination programme for over-12s “quickly” and rethink the policy on masks in schools, the Government’s former chief scientific adviser said.
Sir David King, who is also chair of the Independent Sage Group, also questioned whether the Government was pressing ahead with a “herd immunity policy” among teenagers.
He told Sky News: “The Pfizer vaccine has already been given the green light in this country to over 12-year-olds. I think we should run that programme forward quickly.
“But we’re opening schools today and the Government has said 12 to 18-year-olds no longer need to wear face masks at school – I don’t think that was a wise thing to do and I do hope the Government will rethink this in the light of the current figures.”
Sir David added: “Let me ask you, if I may, to ask the Government, are they actually believing in herd immunity amongst school children?
“Is that why they’re saying, ‘take masks off it’, so that the disease spreads rapidly and they all become immune by having had the disease?
“If that is a policy, shouldn’t we be honest with the public, and tell us that is the policy?
“I believe that herd immunity was the policy from the beginning back in February, March last year, so have we returned to that now with the high vaccination level?”
Sir David said ministers should announce a delay to the June 21 reopening.
He told Sky News: “(On) the number of people in our hospitals, which the Government says is relatively stable, it’s 932 per day going into hospital, which is up 65 from last week. It’s not actually stable, it is slowly rising.
“What all of this means is that intensive care is needed for a significant proportion of our population today.
“I’m very reluctant to say that we should not go out of lockdown on June 21, but I think the figures are in now, and it will be wise for the Government to announce right away a delay in opening, just so that we can all plan for the post June 21 period.”
Asked for how long, he said: “I would give a few weeks’ delay and see how the fingers are emerging.
“So, I don’t know how long.
“As the Prime Minister has said, it’s data, not dates, that we should be governed by, and that’s response as well.”
