Proposals for mandatory Covid vaccinations for university students have sparked outrage, with one union calling them “hugely discriminatory” and Labour calling them a “barrier to learning.”
After ministers refused to rule out the idea, most universities in England believe that requiring students to prove their vaccination status in order to attend lectures or live in halls of residence would be effectively unworkable.
Downing Street did not rule out requiring proof of double-jabbed status to attend lectures and live in halls of residence, amid growing concern about vaccine take-up among younger Britons. Boris Johnson is said to have floated the idea during a virtual meeting from his self-isolation at Chequers, when he was “raging” about NHS England figures showing that one-third of 18 to 29-year-olds have yet to receive their first dose, compared to one in ten in the adult population overall.
Meanwhile, new polling suggests that many younger people have quickly abandoned protective measures since so-called freedom day on July 19, when mandatory masks and social distancing rules were repealed.
The proportion of 18-24 year-olds who say they wear masks in public places has dropped from 64% in early June to 46% now, while the proportion who say they avoid crowded places has increased from 41% to 26%. Face coverings were almost universally worn by older age groups.
Experts today warned that conflicting government messages have contributed to some young people’s reluctance to get vaccinated.
The recent drop in infection rates continued on Monday, with 24,950 positive cases reported – less than half the peak of 54,674 on July 17, bringing the total for the previous seven days down to 21% lower than the previous week. There were 14 reported deaths, bringing the weekly total to 445 – 50% more than the previous seven days.
However, Downing Street warned that the UK was “not out of the woods yet,” warning that the expected increase in infections caused by the lifting of lockdown restrictions on July 19 would not translate into infections, hospitalizations, and deaths for another week or two.
Dr. Mike Tildesley of Warwick University, a government scientific adviser, warned that the drop in positive cases could simply reflect the fact that secondary school children are no longer doing lateral flow tests twice a week now that summer vacation has begun, allowing more asymptomatic infections to be missed. Dr. Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling group (Spi-M), said he was “cautiously optimistic,” but it would take another two weeks to determine whether the third Covid wave was “turning around.”
Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, stated, “Making vaccinations mandatory as a condition of access to their education is wrong and would be hugely discriminatory against those who are unable to be vaccinated, as well as international students.”
“Sadly, this looks and smells like a prime minister trying to pin the blame on students for not yet taking up a vaccine they haven’t been prioritized to receive.”
Ms. Grady urged the prime minister to collaborate with the NHS and universities to “enable and sensitively encourage student vaccination” rather than instituting mandatory vaccination requirements.
The latest data from the Office for National Statistics show cases of coronavirus in 16-24 year-olds are almost six times more common than in 50-69 year-olds.
Department of Health sources said the government, NHS, and Public Health England were providing advice and information to young people “at every possible opportunity” to encourage vaccine take-up.
They pointed to partnerships with social media platforms and dating apps, as well as campaigns fronted by football and boxing stars designed to inspire confidence among the young.
