UK’s newly appointed minister to oversee Covid-19 vaccine development says British citizens can lose their right to a normal life if they don’t roll up their sleeves to get the vaccine.
Nadhim Zahawi warned Brits will have to show proof of vaccination in order to gain entry to shops, bars, theaters or sporting events.
Zahawi says proof of vaccination could be held on a phone app already in use in the government’s track and trace system.
“I think you’d probably find that restaurants and bars and cinemas and other venues, sports venues, will probably also use that system as they’ve done with the app,” Zahawi told the BBC on Monday.
“The sort of pressure will come both ways: from service providers – who will say ‘look, demonstrate to us that you have been vaccinated’ – but also we will make the technology as easy and accessible as possible.”
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson “strongly urges” Brits to get vaccinated, but he said vaccines will not be mandatory in the UK.
Officials in the United States are looking at similar apps on phones or a digital wallet that will confirm Americans received the COvid-19 vaccine.
But, in an interview with Yahoo Finance, Dr Anthony Fauci insisted the Covid-19 vaccine will not prevent infection, it will only lessen symptoms. People who are vaccinated can still spread the virus.
“The primary endpoint is to prevent clinical disease, to prevent symptomatic disease, not necessarily to prevent infection. The primary thing you want to do is, if people get infected, prevent them from getting sick. And if you prevent them from getting sick you will ultimately prevent them from getting seriously ill, so that’s what we want to do.”
Common symptoms of Covid-19 are similar to the seasonal flu: a fever, cough, fatigue, headaches, shortness of breath, and muscle aches.
