London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 07, 2026

'Vaccine passports make me even more reluctant to get a Covid jab'

'Vaccine passports make me even more reluctant to get a Covid jab'

Covid made 2020 one of the worst years ever to be a uni student, so many can't wait to get back to normal when the new term starts - but it's going to be less fun if you've not had a Covid jab.

From next month you'll only get into nightclubs in England and Scotland if you can prove you're fully vaccinated.

The aim of vaccine passports is to reduce Covid cases and avoid lockdowns.

But some people are angry about the rule, with one student saying it makes her even more reluctant to get a jab.

"When I turned 18 I went to one or two clubs with my friends and then Covid hit," Sharnie May Crooks tells Newsbeat.

"Now I'm 19, I'm going to be 20 in November - it's nearly two years of clubbing that I've just never had the chance to experience and now with vaccine passports it doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime soon."

'Too extreme'


Sharnie's been working as a bartender and customer services assistant to make some extra cash before starting her second year studying psychology at the University of Warwick.

She says she'd "happily" take lateral flow tests to prove she's not carrying the virus ahead of big nights out, as we've all had to at gigs and festivals this summer.

But the idea of vaccine passports is "outrageous, preposterous" and "too far to the extreme".

"A vaccine should be a personal choice, and if you're restricting me from doing things, that's pushing me further away from making that decision because you're removing choice from it."

Sharnie doesn't plan on getting the vaccine for at least a couple of years, because she's concerned about the possibility of unknown long-term effects.

Scientists have repeatedly said the serious complications of Covid itself are a far greater risk to people than vaccines. The vaccines approved for use in the UK have met strict safety standards and reports of serious side-effects are very rare.

Sharnie says she's not going to change her mind, so freshers' week is "not going to be as exciting as I would have hoped" as a result of vaccine passports.

But she's "definitely not going to be sitting at home" while her peers have fun at uni - and says it's likely she'll end up going to illegal raves instead of legitimate clubs.

Sharnie (left) says she's likely to go to illegal raves if vaccine passports stop her from going clubbing

She says lots of her friends feel the same way and thinks an increase in the number of illegal raves will be a consequence of vaccine passports that the government hasn't considered.

"Staying at home, not partying, is definitely just not an option," she says.

Annie is 21 and we've agreed not to use her surname. She's also against the idea of vaccine passports - but for very different reasons.

When Annie was 14 she overdosed on paracetamol in an attempt to take her own life. After that she had a "bit of a fear of taking medication" but when the UK went into lockdown in March last year, the fear developed into severe anxiety and panic attacks about medicine.

"Some panic attacks get to the point where I have to lie in bed and just not move because I can't breathe. I think I'm going to die, I think the side-effects are going to kill me. Obviously that's not going to happen but that's how it makes me feel."

At the moment Annie's anxiety is so bad that she can't take any medication - including any vaccines.

Scotland's vaccine passport rules apply to nightclubs, big gigs, and football matches with more than 10,000 people

"I am not against the vaccine in any way. I think anyone who can get it should get it - but me personally, I just am not comfortable taking it 'cos I know how it will make me feel. It's just the vaccine passports that I have a grievance with," she says.

Anyone who has good reasons for not getting fully vaccinated - including children and people with particular medical conditions - will be exempt from the vaccine passport restrictions. But Annie isn't sure if her condition will be covered by this.

She's looking forward to going to a McFly concert at the end of this month but doesn't think she'll be allowed into a JLS gig she has tickets for in October.

She's also worried she won't be able to use her football season ticket because stadiums with capacity of over 10,000 people are also subject to the vaccine passport rules in Scotland.

JLS, pictured in 2013, are doing a comeback tour this autumn - but without a vaccine Annie won't be able to go

"Aspects of my mental health have vastly improved since I've been able to go back to events and stuff like that," she says.

"If I can't go to these events I'm going to be cooped up inside again, feeling all of these intense feelings of anxiety. But then if I get the vaccine, I will be feeling those intense feelings of anxiety - so it's a lose-lose situation for myself."


Covid passports: 'Illegal raves will be more popular'


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Laura Trott Pledges Tighter Controls on Political Activism in UK Classrooms
Welsh Ministers Launch Long-Term Review of North Wales and Anglesey Crossings
Welsh Government Orders 18-Month Study of Road Solutions Around Newport
Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin Faces Scrutiny Over £800,000 Second Home Purchase
British Households Grow More Concerned About Fuel and Energy Prices
NHS Leaders Warn of Rising Winter Pressure on Emergency Departments
Kemi Badenoch Proposes £2.3 Billion Employer National Insurance Cut for Young Workers
Middle East Conflict Could Erase UK Fiscal Headroom, Economists Warn
Manchester City Found Guilty of Multiple Premier League Financial Rule Breaches
UK Security Services Find Strong Indications of Iranian Role in RAF Fairford Incident
Costa Coffee Returns to Operating Profit on Iced Drinks and Menu Changes
Asos Warns Customers After Unauthorized Access to Retail App and Data
Kemi Badenoch Puts Growth and Deregulation at Center of Conservative Conference
Campaigners Warn of Deepening Social Care Crisis for Disabled Adults
Study Finds Rising Early-Onset Cancer Rates Among Adults Under 50 in Britain
UK Coach Operators Warn High Diesel Prices Could Force Route Cuts
FCA Opens Independent Review Into Handling of Epstein-Linked Whistleblower Case
Argentina Vows to Block Falkland Islands Offshore Oil Development
UK Chancellor Prepares Fiscal Measures and Welfare Reforms Ahead of Autumn Budget
Sainsbury’s and Morrisons Explore Potential Multi-Billion-Pound Merger
UK Weighs Tariffs on Chinese Electric Vehicles to Align With European Union
UK Threatens Diplomatic Expulsions Over Planned Closure of East Jerusalem Consulate
UK Energy Price Cap Hits Three-Year High as Middle East Conflict Raises Costs
Seventh Arrest Made in Suspected Terror Plot at RAF Fairford
Systemic Education Collapse Sparks Mass Student Uprisings in France
Green Party Faces Backlash Over Resolution Equating Zionism With Racism
Conservatives Debate Scrapping Environmental Rules for New Homes
Cornwall Insight Warns UK Energy Bills Could Approach £2,000 This Winter
UK Coach Operators Warn of Service Cuts as Diesel Prices Exceed £2
Scottish Parliament Approves £68 Billion Budget With New Tax and Property Measures
FCA Opens Independent Review Into Handling of Epstein Whistleblower
UK Government Drops Plan to Suspend Jury Trials in England and Wales
Bank of England Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Markets Watch November
Two Iranian Nationals Charged Over Alleged Plot Targeting Manchester Jewish Community
UK Fiscal Headroom Halves to £11 Billion Ahead of Budget, EY Warns
US Bomber Withdrawal From RAF Fairford Prompts UK Security Review
Sarah Wakfer Appointed Chair of Northern Ireland’s Health and Care Regulator
Scotland Housing Completions Fall to 11-Year Low Amid National Shortage
UK Water Companies Face Tougher Oversight and Unannounced Regulatory Inspections
Middle East Conflict Pushes UK Fuel and Wholesale Energy Prices Higher
Andy Burnham Raises Prospect of Second Brexit Referendum in Review of UK-EU Relations
EY Warns UK Fiscal Headroom Has Halved to £11 Billion Ahead of Autumn Budget
BT Accused of Pressuring Vulnerable Customers During Digital Landline Shift
British Carmakers Warn of Growing Pressure From EU-China Tariff Dispute
Green Party of England and Wales Adopts Motion Defining Zionism as Racism
Medical Charity Threatens NHS Legal Action Over Two-Year Autism and ADHD Assessment Waits
British Transport Police Report Record Rise in Violence on Railways
Glasgow Council Workers Face Pay Cuts Under Fire-and-Rehire Plan
British Medical Groups Press Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Cancel £330 Million Palantir NHS Contract
UK Faces Record Bluetongue Outbreak Across Livestock Farms
×