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Boris Johnson: 'All These Anti-Vaxxers Are Nuts'
Posted
July 24, 2020
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14,591
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July 24, 2020
14,591
61
93
1.06%
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0:59Now PlayingBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson said a widespread flu vaccination programme was a priority in the run up to winter, to insulate the public health system from the pressures of COVID-19 and a possible spike in infections during the colder months.
"We've still got the threat of a second spike of COVID and it's vital, therefore, to keep that pressure off the NHS (UK National Health Service) by everybody getting a flu jab," Johnson said during a visit to a medical practice in east London.
In conversation with nurses on immunization programmes, Johnson criticized people who don't vaccinate their children against childhood illnesses.
"There are all these anti-vaxxers now, they are nuts," he was overheard telling practice staff.
From the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, vaccine skeptics have tailored several long-standing claims about vaccine safety to fit the current outbreak.
Health experts have repeatedly said there is no evidence the coronavirus was intentionally created or spread.
They also insist that vaccines are not only safe, but essential to global health.
The United Nations warned last week about an alarming decline in childhood vaccinations because of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that the likelihood a child born today will have all recommended vaccines by the age of five is less than 20%.
Johnson was visiting the east London practice as new rules on wearing masks in England came into force, with people going to shops, banks and supermarkets now required to wear face coverings.
Police can hand out fines of 100 pounds (127 US dollars) if people refuse, but authorities are hoping that peer pressure will prompt compliance.
The move had been controversial, with the government offering mixed signals on the matter for weeks before coming up with a policy.
Johnson said using masks and social distancing were important factors in keeping the pandemic under control.
On Friday said he believed that by the middle of next year, "we'll be well on the way past it (COVID-19)," but he cautioned there were still "tough times ahead in keeping this virus under control and we have tough times ahead in coming through economically."
Johnson's visit came on the first anniversary of his becoming leader of the Conservative party.
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