Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will update the NHS Covid-19 App with a QR code to enable children between the ages of 12 and 15 to provide evidence of their recent recovery from covid-19 so that they can travel overseas.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The NHS COVID-19 App is primarily a contact tracing app which is available to those aged 16 years old and over. App users are anonymous so it cannot be used as proof of vaccination status. The NHS App provides access to a range of services including vaccination status and the NHS COVID pass.
There are no plans to allow children aged between 12 to 15 years old to provide evidence of their recent recovery for overseas travel. No countries recognise natural immunity as an exclusive qualifier for relaxed border measures. Where natural immunity is recognised, vaccination and/or testing are also always accepted. We are looking at ways for children aged 12 years old and over with two vaccinations to demonstrate their vaccination status for international travel. This will be available shortly, initially via an NHS COVID Pass travel letter. Further information will be made available in due course.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the mandatory covid-19 vaccination of frontline NHS staff, which clinician will decide whether a member of staff may receive an authorised exemption from that requirement on the basis of individual medical history.
Answered by Maggie Throup
To apply for a medical exemption, an individual should contact the NHS COVID Pass Service via 119. The published guidance on medical exemptions from COVID-19 vaccination sets out that applications will be clinically reviewed by a general practitioner, specialist clinician or midwife. The guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-medical-exemptions-proving-you-are-unable-to-get-vaccinated
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to vaccinate home schooled children between the ages of 12 and 17 against covid-19.
Answered by Maggie Throup
As of 23 August 2021, the Government met its target of offering a first dose of the Pfizer vaccine to all 16 and 17 year-olds in England. This age group are vaccinated through the adult vaccination system. Anyone in this age group who has not yet been vaccinated can book an appointment at a vaccination centre using the online booking system or via a Walk in centres.
Those aged from 12 to 15 years old have been offered vaccination primarily through a schools-based programme. As with other school age vaccination programmes, arrangements are made locally to ensure that children outside mainstream educational provision are also offered vaccination. The COVID-19 vaccination programme has now expanded to allow parents or guardians to choose whether their child receives their dose in school or at a vaccination centre. The schools-based vaccination offer will continue in schools during the autumn. Parents and guardians can now book an appointment through the national booking system for the initial vaccine dose for all children aged between 12 to 15 years old including those who are home schooled.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to enable people who have received the Sinovac covid-19 vaccine to be recognised as fully vaccinated.
Answered by Maggie Throup
We have no plans to do so at present.
We are taking a phased approach to inbound vaccination programmes in other countries and territories, building on the success of our pilot with the United States and Europe. Vaccine certification between countries and territories varies and certificates and apps must meet our minimum requirements. We will expand the policy to more countries and territories where it is safe to do so.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will allow patients who received two covid-19 AstraZeneca vaccinations and who are concerned about mRNA vaccines to choose to have an RPV vaccine, including a further AstraZeneca vaccination, as a booster.
Answered by Maggie Throup
Data from the COV-BOOST trial indicate that booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines are generally well tolerated and provide a substantial increase in vaccine-induced immune responses. In particular, mRNA vaccines provide a strong booster effect, regardless of whether the primary course was with the Pfizer/BioNTech or the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has advised that those eligible for the COVID-19 booster vaccine should be offered a booster dose of either the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine or the Moderna vaccine. Where mRNA vaccines cannot be offered, vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine may be considered for those who received that vaccine in the primary course.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will expedite decisions on applications for exemption to managed quarantine from applicants seeking to return to UK in response to relatives becoming seriously ill.
Answered by Maggie Throup
All requests for exemptions from Managed Quarantine are carefully considered. In extremely limited circumstances, an exemption on compassionate grounds may be granted. To expedite the decision-making process applicants should provide supporting medical evidence and apply at least 14 days before travel. Requests for exemptions are identified and prioritised in the same way and applications processed in order of receipt and prioritised based on the proposed date of travel.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to recognise, for the purposes of exemption from managed quarantine, AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccinations given to UK citizens in Gambia through the World Health Organisation's COVAX programme.
Answered by Maggie Throup
We do not exempt people from managed quarantine based on vaccination status. Gambia is not a designated ‘red list’ country, so travellers to the United Kingdom are not required to enter managed quarantine unless they have transited through a country on the ‘red list’.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will review the information made publicly available on covid-19 symptoms.
Answered by Maggie Throup
I refer the Rt hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston (Justin Madders MP) on 23 July to Question 25024.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that covid-19 vaccinations administered in (a) EU member states and (b) other jurisdictions are recognised as valid for entry to UK without the need for quarantine and isolation.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Work is ongoing to determine which non-United Kingdom vaccines could be recognised in this country. Once confirmed, NHSX will provide access to an NHS COVID Pass for those eligible.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the European Medicines Agency on assessment and approval of AstraZeneca covid-19 batches 4120Z001, 4120Z002, 4120Z003.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
No specific discussions have taken place. We are not aware of any advice from the European Medicines Agency on the assessment or approval of specific vaccine batches used in the United Kingdom.