Armed police and troops on standby to guard coronavirus vaccine stocks against anti-vaxxers
ARMED police and troops could be drafted in to protect Britain’s vital vaccine stocks after hospital chiefs warned anti-vaxxers could target sites administering the jab.
Yesterday Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed “a role for the armed forces” in distributing the antidote.
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The Sun can reveal Health bosses have raised concerns anti-vaccine protests may target unprepared hospitals with mass demonstrations or even attempts to destroy stockpiles.
NHS Trusts are liaising with Whitehall over a role for the police or even the Army in protecting the supply chains.
Particular concern has been raised by the first hospitals in London that plan to begin vaccinating frontline health workers as soon as any vaccine is given the greenlight.
A Whitehall source said: “They are liaising with the police and even the army over a number of security concerns.”
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Yesterday Mr Hancock told the BBC: “We’re doing the logistical work – led by the NHS working with the armed services who are playing an important role in the logistics of it to ensure that we have that rollout programme ready.”
Clinical trials for Covid-19 vaccines are ongoing.
Infections drop
CORONAVIRUS infections are falling in some of the worst-hit areas — offering hope that lockdown measures are working.
The rate in Liverpool fell from 620 cases per 100,000 people to 520 in just a week — with 2,591 new cases in total.
It was one of the first areas put under a Tier 3 lockdown.In Knowsley, Merseyside, also in Tier 3, the rate fell from 682 to 599, with 905 new cases.
And the rate in Nottingham, which will go into Tier 3 on Thursday, fell from 726 to 464, with 1,546 new cases.
Rates also decreased in Newcastle and Exeter.
The Public Health England data, released yesterday, covers the seven days to October 22 and is based on laboratory tests.
It comes as 102 more people died from the virus, bringing the total to 44,998.
Cases continued to rise for most of the country, with a further 20,890 reported.
It is too early to know if Tier 3 lockdowns in some areas, such as Manchester and South Yorkshire, have been effective in curbing the number of new cases.
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