UK plans for booster jab when going abroad

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has raised the prospect of Britons soon needing a booster jab to be considered “fully vaccinated” when going abroad or for self-isolation rules.

Speaking at a Downing Street news conference, the prime minister revealed plans to add evidence of a vaccine top-up to the NHS COVID pass.

He also said Britons would find “life easier in all kinds of ways”, including for foreign travel, with a booster dose.

Following an earlier announcement that the rollout of COVID booster shots will now be extended to all over-40s, Mr Johnson highlighted increased vaccination rates as a means of avoiding the reintroduction of domestic restrictions.

The prime minister warned that “storm clouds are gathering over the continent” with a “new wave” of COVID cases sweeping westwards through Europe, prompting some countries to re-impose coronavirus measures.

He said that the countries with lower vaccination rates have tended to see bigger surges in infection, and in turn been forced to respond with harsher measures. They don’t yet know the extent to which this new wave will wash up on our shores, but history shows we cannot afford to be complacent.

The Prime Minister said he saw “nothing in the data at the moment” that would force the government to move to “Plan B” of its winter contingency planning for the NHS, which could see the reintroduction of mandatory face masks or the return of work from home guidance.

But he warned that ministers “cannot rule anything out” when asked about the prospect of a Christmas lockdown.

Mr Johnson said the most important thing people can do” to prevent the reimposition of restrictions was to “get the boosters”.

The prime minister later suggested that, at some point, only those who have had a booster jab – which for most people is a third vaccine dose – would be considered “fully vaccinated”.

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