London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

UK government could restrict travel for people who refuse Covid boosters

UK government could restrict travel for people who refuse Covid boosters

Sources say plans for travel restrictions being looked at, with 10m now having received third jabs

More than 10 million people in the UK have had Covid vaccine top-up shots, figures show, as government sources confirmed they are looking at plans for travel restrictions on people who do not take up the booster offer.

NHS figures for Sunday showed that 10,062,704 people in the UK had received a booster jab, or third shots for those with weakened immune systems, with the number in England reaching 8.5 million.

The milestone follows a record day for boosters on Saturday when more than 371,000 people in England had the jabs. About 30% of over-80s and more than 60% of people aged 50 and over have yet to receive the extra doses, however.

The health secretary, Sajid Javid, urged people to take up the offer of booster shots when they became eligible, describing the push as a “national mission” that would help the country “avoid a return to restrictions and enjoy Christmas”.


In a move that may further drive booster uptake, No 10 sources confirmed that ministers were considering a change in the rules on travel so that eligible people who had turned down a third dose would face quarantine and testing if they went abroad. The change was said not to be imminent.

This month official guidance was updated to say government was “reviewing the implications and requirements of boosters for international travel certification” and “looking at whether and how booster vaccinations could be included in the NHS Covid pass for travel”.

Currently, all over-50s, health and social care workers, and people who are clinically vulnerable are able to receive boosters six months after their second dose. On Monday, the booking system will change to allow people to arrange their appointment a month before they have the shot.

John Roberts, a member of the Covid-19 Actuaries Response Group, said while the number of people becoming eligible for booster shots was still growing faster than boosters were being delivered, the situation had improved in the past week.

“The really positive thing is the change that allows people to book their booster up to a month early. That will make a really big difference to things over the next few weeks,” he said. “I’ve been worried that we wouldn’t get all priority groups done before Christmas mixing takes place but I think this will make a big difference.

“The important thing for me is the number who are being jabbed is growing. The weekly rate is up to 1.8 million now, and I think we’ll see quite a step forward over the next two to three weeks as people take advantage of being able to book in advance. The only caution is we seem to be struggling to get some of the over-80s boosted and I think maybe these people are less mobile, and may rely on their GP contacting them and to go to a centre very close to them.”

Vaccines are highly effective at preventing hospitalisations and deaths but protection wanes over time, particularly in elderly people and at-risk groups. The booster programme aims to top up people’s immunity before an expected rise in cases in winter.

Evidence from Public Health England shows that protection against hospitalisation falls from 95% to 75% in the five months after the second shot of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, and from 99% to 95% for the Pfizer/BioNTech shot. Even small falls can have a major impact on hospitals, with a change from 95% to 90% protection against hospitalisation doubling the number of admissions in those vaccinated.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×