Labour demands Conservatives get a grip and set-up vaccine centres on university campuses to get students double jabbed ahead of winter
Labour (@UKLabour) is calling on the Conservatives to get a grip following two days of contradictory briefings on student vaccinations, and work with universities to set-up vaccine centres on campus in a bid to get students double jabbed as soon as possible.
Despite reports of students facing a ban from university campuses until they are double jabbed, the Prime Minister has been described as “much less serious” about this plan. Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, Kate Green MP, is calling on the Government stop the chaotic briefings and act to support students to get their jabs.
Setting-up vaccine centres on university campuses could help reach the 1.7 million under 25-year-old students, helping stamp down on the spread of the virus and ensuring young people have easy access to vaccine centres encouraging wide uptake of the vaccine.
The Conservatives have recklessly pushed ahead with lifting restrictions, despite rising numbers of young people being admitted to hospital with Covid-19, whilst failing to support universities to put mitigations, such as increased ventilation, in place on campuses, leaving providers millions of pounds out of pocket.
High infection rates among young people are also likely to delay vaccinations, with people infected between their first and second doses being required to wait a further 28 day before getting their second jab.
Establishing vaccine centres on universities comes alongside Labour’s call for the Government to do more to promote the jab to young people, including ensuring young workers are able to get time off to get vaccinated and establishing more pop-up vaccine centres giving all adults easy access to the vaccine.
Kate Green MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, said:
“It is essential that all eligible adults get their vaccine. Instead of criticising young people, the Conservatives must get a grip and help them to get their jabs, including by setting-up vaccine centres on university campuses.
“The chaos, delay and incompetence at the heart of Boris Johnson’s government is costing lives and has cost thousands of students their university experiences.
“Supporting all students to get double jabbed ahead of winter will help reduce disruption on campus and limit the spread of the virus, helping to protect the NHS as we head towards winter.”
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