November 9, 2021 4.35 pm This story is over 28 months old

NHS staff face compulsory vaccination after 589 COVID cases in Lincolnshire on Tuesday

“Proceed with caution,” opposition urged
A member of the covid vaccination team at the Meres Local Vaccination Centre (LVC), Grantham

There were 589 cases of Coronavirus confirmed in Greater Lincolnshire on Tuesday as NHS staff face compulsory vaccination.

The latest figure is 2% down on the 601 cases at the same point the previous week.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has told the House of Commons that more than 103,000 NHS workers in England will need to get both doses of the vaccine by April 1 next year.

The latest COVID stats for Lincolnshire are:

  • 589 new cases of coronavirus with 428 in Lincolnshire, 78 in North East Lincolnshire and 83 in North Lincolnshire
  • Three further deaths recorded in the government figures including two Lincolnshire residents and one North Lincolnshire resident
  • One hospital deaths recorded in United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust

In a statement on Tuesday, Mr Javid said: “We must avoid preventable harm and protect patients in the NHS, protect colleagues in the NHS and, of course, protect the NHS itself.”

Nationally, he said, the take up was currently around 93% of staff having one dose and 90% having two, leaving 103,000 who were yet unvaccinated.

He told MPs a consultation had been carried out prior to a decision being made, but added that unvaccinated workers shouldn’t be “scapegoated or shamed”.

Lincolnshire’s coronavirus cases up to November 9. | Image: GOV.uk

Health leaders have already raised concerns, including that staff might choose to leave if forced to get the vaccine.

Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth urged his counterpart to “proceed with caution”.

“We know the NHS is under the most intense pressure this winter already,” he said.

“We know waiting lists are at close to six million and we know there are over 90,000 vacancies across the NHS, and we know the chancellor failed to allocate funding for training budgets to train the medics that we need.”

ULHT Chief Executive Andrew Morgan earlier today told BBC Radio Lincolnshire there were still a number of questions to be answered, including confirmation of what would happen if staff chose not to take up the vaccine.

Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Tuesday, November 9

143,118 cases (up 589)

  • 95,842 in Lincolnshire (up 428)
  • 23,098 in North Lincolnshire (up 83)
  • 24,178 in North East Lincolnshire (up 78)

2,436 deaths (up three)

  • 1,779 from Lincolnshire (up two)
  • 335 from North Lincolnshire (up one)
  • 322 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)

of which 1,461 hospital deaths (up one)

  • 899 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (up one)
  • 44 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
  • 1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
  • 517 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change)
DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF THE LATEST UPDATE. POSTCODE DATA INCLUDES DEATHS NOT IN HEALTHCARE FACILITIES OR IN HOSPITALS OUTSIDE AUTHORITY BOUNDARIES.