The drive to vaccinate children aged 5 to 11 has been delayed as ministers decide whether or not to accept the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommendation to offer this age group the vaccine on a non-urgent basis.
Though the decision was made over a week ago, the government is reportedly in an impasse with the JCVI and Boris Johnson is expected to announce the decision on February 21, when he presents his Living with Covid plan to parliament.
Meanwhile, an NHS hospital in the east of England has declared a “major incident” after testing a drive for workers in hospitals treating Lassa fever cases to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) following the first Lassa-related death in the UK on Sunday
At least three cases have been reported this week in the UK so far, but the risk to public health from Lassa fever remains very low, the UK Health Security Agency said. Experts have said that Lassa virus is not transmitted via airborne infection, but through contact with bodily fluids of an infected person, unlike Covid.
