Unvaccinated doctor challenges Sajid Javid over jabs
A doctor has spoken to the Health Secretary about his refusal to be vaccinated despite working in intensive care since the start of the pandemic.
Steve James, a consultant anaesthetist at King’s College Hospital in London, who has worked in the ICU since early 2020 treating Covid patients, told Sajid Javid why he did not believe in vaccination.
In a video released by Sky News, the doctor told Mr Javid: ‘I had COVID at some point, I’ve got antibodies, and I’ve been working on COVID ICU since the beginning.
‘I have not had a vaccination, I do not want to have a vaccination. The vaccines are reducing transmission only for about eight weeks for Delta, with Omicron it’s probably less. ‘And for that, I would be dismissed if I don’t have a vaccine? The science isn’t strong enough.’
The Health Secretary politely expressed his disagreement and urged the public to get boosted during his visit.
He said: ‘I respect that, but there’s also many different views. I understand it, and obviously we have to weigh all that up for both health and social care, and there will always be a debate about it.’
But he took a parting swipe at the doctor, saying the government were taking advice ‘from people who are actually experts’.
Mr James said he did not believe Covid-19 was causing ‘very significant problems’ for young people, adding that his patients in the ICU had been ‘extremely overweight’ with multiple other co-morbidities.
He said the Health Secretary did not seem to agree with him but had listened to his opinion.
‘I wouldn’t say he agreed with me,’ he said. ‘I had the feeling he was listening.’
In December, MPs approved mandatory vaccinations for NHS and social care staff by April this year.
According to the latest data, more than 90 per cent of NHS staff have had at least two doses of a coronavirus vaccine and more than 60 per cent have had a booster jab or third dose.
During his visit, Mr Javid said he wanted to thank NHS workers across the country for ‘the amazing work they’ve been doing throughout this pandemic but particularly during these current challenging times’.
