London The British government has backtracked on plans to make vaccinations compulsory for medical staff in England. Britain’s Health Minister Sajid Javid announced in London last night that he would review the plans and request new data from medical authorities. He made it known that vaccination was no longer necessary.

The media had previously reported yesterday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government wanted to abandon the controversial project. Under the original plans, beginning April 1, nurses would have to show proof of two vaccinations. The government justifies the supposed change of course by saying that the effects of the omicron variant are significantly milder than feared.

The vaccination requirement for English health service personnel National Health Service it was decided when the Delta variant was dominant. This led to a significantly higher number of hospital admissions. Critics fear the already overburdened health system could lose 80,000 employees in one fell swoop if vaccinations become mandatory.

Several MPs from Johnson’s Tory party had put up strong opposition. Johnson, who is under enormous pressure from the Downing Street lockdown parties, is dependent on the support of Conservative MPs. Otherwise, he faces a motion of no confidence. © dpa/aerzteblatt.de