It's time for London's unvaccinated to pay with their freedoms, not ours

TWO years into a global pandemic and in this city of nearly nine million inhabitants — which has time and again been at the centre of the battle against Covid — 30 per cent of over-12s remain unvaccinated.

- Emily Sheffield

Across, the UK the proportion is around 10 per cent. Meanwhile, more than 20 NHS trusts in England have declared critical incidents, it was revealed yesterday, as Omicron continues to have an impact on wards being managed by exhausted NHS staff working on the frontline of this war. This week the Government said it is “absolutely heart-breaking” that up to 90 per cent of people in intensive care with Covid have not had a booster jab and more than 60 per cent have not had any vaccine at all.

As energies stay focused on fighting Covid, waiting times for life-saving operations and procedures grow ever more critical. Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, warned yesterday that not only are thousands having to wait for urgent care, trusts are now having to delay planned care again. And Covid or illness are not the only reasons NHS staff are missing work — it is also mental health and stress.