Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

England's chief medical officer  Chris Whitty: Most Covid-stricken anti-vaxxers in intensive care are NOT conspiracy theorists

England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty: Most Covid-stricken anti-vaxxers in intensive care are NOT conspiracy theorists

Most Covid-stricken anti-vaxxers in intensive care are NOT conspiracy theorists with 'weird views' but ordinary people who have fallen for 'deliberate online misinformation', says Sir Chris Whitty
England's chief medical officer said he has been left 'saddened' by the proportion of unvaccinated patients in intensive care.

Speaking at a Downing Street news conference, Professor Sir Chris Whitty said 'the great majority' of those who were in intensive care and had not been jabbed were 'not anti-vaxxers in the ordinary sense with some really weird ideas' but had been taken advantage of by those seeking to misinform them online.

Sir Chris said 'misinformation' on the internet, 'a lot of it deliberately placed', about potential side effects from jabs was fuelling fears about whether Covid-19 was important enough to warrant vaccination, leading to vaccine hesitancy.

Whitty also claimed that people were being misled as to whether the vaccines were effective against the disease.

'Insofar as I am frustrated it is simply people deliberately trying to scare away fellow citizens from something that is potentially going to be life-saving for them,' he said.

'In the end, it is the job of health professionals not to get frustrated but simply to say, look, let's go through all of your questions properly and systematically and say which ones are fair and which ones as in many cases, are really completely untrue.'

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was 'absolutely crazy' that people were ending up in intensive care with Covid because they had not been vaccinated.

'How absolutely crazy it is, absolutely crazy, that there are two million slots this week for people to get vaccinated and yet the majority of people in ICU for Covid are not vaccinated – 61%,' he told the press conference.

'It is sad but it is also a huge opportunity for us to correct it.'

Mr Johnson added: 'There are still almost nine million people eligible, who haven't had their booster.

'It's absolutely heartbreaking that as many as 90% of those in intensive care with Covid have not had their booster, and over 60% of those in intensive care who have Covid have not had any vaccination at all.

'People are dying needlessly because they haven't had their jabs, they haven't had that booster.'

Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, said there were 'extraordinarily high levels of infection at the moment' in the UK, and claimed there was 'no evidence' that the Covid spread in London has reached the peak.

'Whilst it may be the case that in the younger age groups it is flattening off or possibly beginning to come down, it's still going up in the older age groups,' he said.

'I think it would be very wrong to suggest that there's a peak which means it's all over in London.'

The press conference was held on the day a further 218,724 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases were recorded in England and Scotland.

It was the first time the daily recorded figure has passed 200,000, though the number will have been inflated by some delayed reporting from over the holiday period.

The Prime Minister said there is a good chance the nation can 'ride out this Omicron wave' without having to bring in further Covid restrictions, but did not answer widespread calls to cut the isolation period for Covid patients from seven to five days.

In today's Downing St. briefing, Mr Johnson said now is the moment for 'utmost caution' and made no mention of any plans to reduce the Covid isolation periods, despite admitting that Omicron is milder and cases are not translating into the same intensive care demand as previous waves.

The current isolation period in Britain is set at a minimum of seven days, providing a Covid positive individual can test negative on two lateral flow test results at least 24 hours apart on days six and seven.

The PM's comments came amid a torrent of calls from business leaders and health experts alike to reduce the isolation period to avoid a 'lockdown by default' as industries across the nation face forced closures due to staff absences.

Experts claimed that cutting the isolation period to five days would save the UK economy £300million this month while the Centre for Economics and Business Research estimated that the current rules will cost the country £1 billion, equal to 0.5 per cent of monthly GDP.

Meanwhile, Professor of Medicine Paul Hunter told Sky News today that there is a strong argument for cutting the isolation period of Covid positive individuals to five days as the greatest risk of transmission comes from two days before to three days after someone becomes ill.

'I think the balance of evidence is that really, most infections are transmitted in the two days before to three or four days after somebody becomes ill,' he said.

'At the moment, much of the pressure is from keeping people off work, some of whom won't necessarily need to be off work.'
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Hungary Ranked Among the World’s Safest Travel Destinations for 2025
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Man Convicted of Fraud After Booking Over 120 Free Flights Posing as Flight Attendant
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Beata Thunberg Rebrands as Beata Ernman Amidst Sister's Activism Controversy
Hungarian Parliament Approves Citizenship Suspension Law
Prime Minister Orbán Criticizes EU's Ukraine Accession Plans
Hungarian Delicacies Introduced to Japanese Market
Hungary's Industrial Output Rises Amid Battery Sector Slump
President Sulyok Celebrates 15 Years of Hungarian Unity Efforts
Hungary's Szeleczki Shines at World Judo Championships
Visegrád Construction Trends Diverge as Hungary Lags
Hungary Hosts National Quantum Technology Workshop
Hungarian Animation Featured at Annecy Festival
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
UK and EU Reach New Economic Agreement
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
UK and EU Reach Agreement on Gibraltar's Schengen Integration
Israeli Finance Minister Imposes Banking Penalties on Palestinians
U.S. Inflation Rises to 2.4% in May Amid Trade Tensions
Trump's Policies Prompt Decline in Chinese Student Enrollment in U.S.
Global Oceans Near Record Temperatures as CO₂ Levels Climb
Trump Announces U.S.-China Trade Deal Covering Rare Earths
Smuggled U.S. Fuel Funds Mexican Cartels Amid Crackdown
Austrian School Shooting Leaves Nine Dead in Graz
×