Thanks to the heroic efforts of our NHS, armed forces and countless volunteers, we are now approaching the final stretch in our race to vaccinate and are urging every adult to get their jabs as soon as possible to make sure they are fully protected – so when you get the call, get the jab. We have administered a total of over 83.7 million vaccine doses across the UK, with over 46.5 million people (88% of all adults) across the UK now having received their first dose and over 37.1 million people (over 70% of all adults) having received their second dose.
The case for getting vaccinated is clear, so we are urging everyone when you get the call, get the jab, so together we can keep each other and our loved ones safe. Join the millions already vaccinated. http://nhs.uk/CovidVaccine.
Daily contact testing rolled out to further critical sectors
The Government has announced an expansion of daily contact testing to emergency services and some transport sectors, ensuring our frontline workers can continue to keep us safe while remaining protected from the virus.
As part of our targeted contact testing of workers, the Government has engaged with the emergency and transport sectors to understand how workers can continue to safely deliver their vital services, despite cases rising in the coming weeks. That is why the Government is expanding our contact testing scheme to police and fire services, Border Force, and some transport workers, replacing self-isolation with daily testing for those identified as contacts of people with coronavirus, with an expected 200 additional testing sites being opened.
Delivering daily contact testing to these critical workplaces builds on pioneering work by NHS Test and Trace and Public Health England which puts the UK at the vanguard of scientific research. Daily testing will enable eligible workers who have received alerts from the NHS COVID-19 app or have been called by NHS Test and Trace and told they are a contact and to isolate will be able to continue working if they test negative. Employers and workers taking part in Daily Contact Testing will be provided with guidance about the protocols they must follow.
By doing this we can ensure our emergency and transport services will continue to keep us safe while offering them protection from the virus.
For any more information on the Government’s announcement that daily contact testing will be offered to more emergency service and critical workers who would otherwise need to self-isolate, including comments from the Home, Transport and Health and Social Care Secretaries, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/daily-contact-testing-rolled-out-to-further-critical-sectors.
Supporting Our NHS People
Our NHS staff are appreciated and valued. COVID-19 has affected us all and no one knows what you have been through. Health and wellbeing support is available for NHS staff.
To view the health and wellbeing support options available for NHS staff in full, please visit: https://www.england.nhs.uk/supporting-our-nhs-people/wellbeing-support-options/.
