Harriett Baldwin MP asks Prime Minister Boris Johnson “what more can we be doing” to combat new variants.

The West Worcestershire MP posed the question to the PM earlier today in the House of Commons, during Prime Minister’s Questions.

Harriett Baldwin MP said: “Can I warmly welcome the boost the Prime Minister gave to the ‘get boosted now’ programme.

“Over the recess, almost a million boosts a day were given to people so I want to thank everyone involved in that.

“I also welcome the leadership the PM showed on the Covax facility making sure that vaccinations have been spread around the world.

“Is there more that we can do, given the risk of variants emerging in places where vaccination rates are not as high as in the UK, to boost vaccination rates around the world?”

Malvern Gazette: Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Picture Credit: PA.Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Picture Credit: PA.

In response to the West Worcestershire MP, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “I thank her, and I think the UK can be proud and she knows this area well.

“What we are doing to support vaccination around the world, thanks to the deal we did with Oxford, AstraZeneca, 1.5 billion doses were administered to people who needed them around the world at cost.

"That was thanks to the deal negotiated by the UK government.

“We put £478 million into Covax, and we have a pledge to deliver 100 million surplus vaccines around the world by June this year.”

Boris Johnson has insisted he was right to stick with England’s Plan B coronavirus measures despite rapidly rising hospital admissions, soaring case rates and staff shortages hitting the NHS.

The Prime Minister told MPs the Cabinet had agreed to keep the existing domestic restrictions but eased travel testing rules.

He also confirmed plans being implemented across the UK to end the requirement for confirmatory PCR tests for asymptomatic people who test positive using a lateral flow device (LFD).

An estimated 3.7 million people in the UK had Covid-19 in the week ending December 31 2021, up from 2.3 million in the week to December 23 2021 and the highest number since comparable figures began in autumn 2020, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

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