Unvaccinated people “consume hospital beds” that can be used by someone else

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The health minister said unvaccinated people were “eating beds in hospitals” that could be used for someone else.

Sajid Javid said 10 per cent of the population – more than five million people – have not yet received coronavirus vaccines and nearly nine in 10 of those who need the most hospital care have not been vaccinated.

“I cannot stress enough the impact they are having on the rest of society,” Mr Javid said on Trevor Phillips on Sunday, on Sky News.

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“They should really think about the harm they’re doing to the community by … they took hospital beds that would have been used for someone who might have had a heart problem, or maybe someone who is waiting for elective surgery.

But instead of protecting themselves and society, they chose not to vaccinate.

“They have a really harmful effect and I can’t stress enough, please apply for the vaccine.”

Tighter restrictions may be introduced soon as the Omicron variant continues to spread rapidly.

Experts have warned that there are likely hundreds of thousands of new infections every day.

Mr Javid said ministers discuss the latest coronavirus data almost hourly with scientific advisors.

He said the government would “do what is necessary” when asked about other possible measures.

“We have shown in the past as a government in dealing with this pandemic that we will do what is necessary but it must be backed by data,” he told Sky News.

“We monitor the data and discuss it with our scientists and our best consultants almost every hour. We will monitor this very carefully. We will keep the situation under review.”

The health minister said various factors, including vaccines, antiviral drugs and other treatments for Covid-19, meant that “the situation today in terms of our defenses is very different”.

Asked if Parliament would be summoned to approve new measures, Mr Javid said: “If the prime minister is already clear to parliamentarians, if so, if any further action is needed, we would like to summon Parliament and it should be. A decision of Parliament. This is only correct and proper.”

Government scientific advisers said hospital admissions with the variable in the UK “may be around one tenth of the true number” due to the delay in reporting.

A “situation update” from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) was published on Thursday and said it was “almost certain that there are now hundreds of thousands of new omicron infections per day” in England.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has declared a major incident due to the “extremely alarming” surge in cases across the capital, as he voiced concerns that staff at vital public services including the NHS, the fire service and police had been absent due to the infection.

Health Minister Sajid Javid briefs MPs on the government’s coronavirus plans (Image: House of Commons/PA Wire)

Asked about a possible tightening of restrictions after Christmas, a government spokesperson said they would “continue to look closely at all data and keep our procedures under review”.

But speaking today, Javid did not rule out new coronavirus measures before Christmas.

Asked on BBC One’s Andrew Marr if he could rule this out, the health minister said: “We’re assessing the situation, it’s very fast-moving. We’ve seen with Omicron that there is a lot we still don’t know about Omicron.

This is the truth of the matter. The truth is that there is a lot of uncertainty.”

“It is time to be more careful,” he said.

We know this thing is spreading fast. We already know that in London there are about 80% of infections, and in England about 60% of injuries.”

The health minister said whether people go to Christmas parties remains an “individual decision”.

He said many of the parties he was invited to have been canceled or curtailed.

“I think it’s true all over the country,” he told the Andrew Marr Show.

But he said the situation was not “absolutely a lockdown by any means”.

“The thing is, people make their own individual decisions,” he added.

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