October lockdown not happening, says government

Contrary to a newspaper report, the government deny having plans for an October lockdown in England.

According to the i newspaper, plans drawn up by the government looked to extend the school half-term holiday, if hospital admissions continue at their current level. A full lockdown is unlikely, but some rules could be introduced as part of a “firebreak”.

However, the Department for Education say in a tweet that the report is “not true”. They claim the government is not planning “a lockdown or firebreak around the October half term”. 

A spokesman for the prime minister also denies the report, saying plans remain for a range of situations. “But these kind of measures would only be reintroduced as a last resort to prevent unsustainable pressure on our NHS”. The government, as already demonstrated throughout the pandemic, will take action where necessary “to protect our NHS”.

But one thing to note, is that previously we did not have the levels of protection from vaccines in the UK that we have now. Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi hopes that booster jabs will help negate the need for any further lockdown measures. He says, “vaccines have given us the ability to reduce infections, to save 100,000 lives”.

Importance of vaccines

However, he is cautious not to say that it’s “a done deal, it’s all over, it’s fine, this virus is no longer in pandemic stage”. But he hopes that the booster programme will “transition the virus from pandemic to endemic status”, so we can deal with it on a yearly basis, like flu. He recognises the virus will stay with us for many years to come. But hopes that we will not have to close down the economy and take the same severe measures as last year.

The first booster jabs will begin this month for the most clinically vulnerable people. Advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) suggests over 30 million people should receive one. This includes everyone over the age of 50, and those who qualify for the flu jab.

Additionally, around 400,000 to 500,000 people in the UK with severely suppressed immune systems will become eligible for a third dose of Covid vaccine. This is different to the booster jab.

Meanwhile, Mr Zahawi also emphasises the importance of the flu vaccine, as the programme continues throughout the winter.

The number of Covid hospitalisations is slowly climbing in recent weeks, although it is still way below January’s peak.

Nearly 80% of the UK adult population are fully vaccinated so far, while almost 89% have had their first dose.

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