Covid-19 vaccine safety inquiry ‘will not be opened’ government says

AN inquiry to focus solely on the safety of Covid-19 vaccines will not be opened, the UK Government has said.

Instead, Health Minister Caroline Johnson announced that vaccines will be reviewed as part of the wider UK inquiry into Covid-19, and urged people to get their winter booster, adding that the vaccines are safe.

Dr Johnson spoke during a Westminster Hall debate in parliament which was held in response to a petition calling for a public inquiry into the Covid vaccine safety, which has been signed more than 107,000 times, reports Sky News.

She said that as the government had already commissioned a public inquiry into the pandemic, the vaccines will become part of that.

She said: “There are no plans for an inquiry solely on vaccine safety.

“We are facing a tough winter ahead, and collectively we must do everything we can to protect those most vulnerable and to reduce pressure on the National Health Service.

“I would encourage everyone eligible to step forward for their COVID and flu vaccines as soon as they are available.”

Topping-up your immunity with a Covid booster will help protect you over the winter.

Those eligible also need to protect themselves from flu this winter.

With hospitalisations increasing, I urge everyone eligible to get their free booster and flu jab as soon as possible https://t.co/89V2VMV1Xo

— Dr Caroline Johnson MP (@drcarolinej) October 23, 2022

Some MPs, including Scottish National Party MP Steven Bonnar, have praised the jab for “saving millions of lives” but also raised concerns about possible side effects, urging the government to conduct am “an immediate and complete scientific investigation”.

“There has been a significant increase in heart attacks and other related illnesses since the Covid-19 vaccinations started to be distributed in 2021,” he said.

He concluded by revealing he still planned to get his winter booster when called, saying they have been shown to be effective and “acceptably safe”.

Elsewhere, former Tory minister Sir Christopher Chope, who chairs the COVID-19 Vaccine Damage All-Party Parliamentary Group, says he agrees with “legitimate concerns” raised by the petition in relation to the “increasing volume of data relating to cardiovascular problems”.

The MP for Christchurch insisted that he is “not anti-vax” and has had the first two jabs, but believes that the “government seems to be in denial about the risks of these vaccines” and does not plan to get a booster.

Dr Johnson added: “There is no evidence that people are at an increased risk of cardiac arrest in the days and weeks following the vaccine, and the risk of getting myocarditis or pericarditis after the vaccine remains very low.”

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.