London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Feb 18, 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
Italian Police Arrest Man After Alleged Attempt to Abduct Toddler at Bergamo Supermarket, Child Hospitalised With Fractured Femur
Reform UK Appoints Former Conservative Minister Robert Jenrick as Finance Chief
UK Unemployment Rises to Highest in Nearly Five Years as Labour Market Weakens
Rupert Lowe Advocates for English-Only Use in the UK
US Successfully Transports Small Nuclear Reactor from California to Utah
South Korea's traditional sand wrestling sport ssireum faces declining interest at home
Japan outlawed Islam
Virginia Giuffre accuses Epstein of trafficking to powerful men for blackmail.
New Mexico lawmakers initiate investigation into Zorro Ranch linked to Jeffrey Epstein
British Tourist Arrested at Hong Kong Airport After Meltdown and Vandalism
The Spanish government has ordered prosecutors to investigate platforms X, Meta and TikTok for allegedly spreading AI-generated child sexual abuse material
European Commission Plans Purchase Incentives Limited to Vehicles Manufactured Largely in the EU
French District of Pas-de-Calais Introduces Immediate License Suspension for Drivers Using Mobile Phones
Volkswagen Targets €60 Billion in Cost Reductions as Sales Decline and Global Pressures Intensify
Nigel Farage Names Reform UK Frontbench Team and Signals Zero Tolerance for Internal Dissent
Qualcomm to Withdraw UK Lawsuit Over Smartphone Chip Royalty Dispute
Major UK Banks Explore Domestic Card Network to Rival Visa and Mastercard
Cold Health Alert Issued Across UK as Temperatures Drop Sharply
Nine-Year-Old Becomes First Child in UK to Undergo Groundbreaking Leg-Lengthening Surgery
UK Workers Face Stagnant Incomes and a Softening Labour Market as Unemployment Climbs
UK Passport Rules Tightened for British Dual Nationals Under New Travel Guidance
California Deepens Global Climate Alliance with New UK Pact and Major Clean-Tech Investment Drive
UK Supreme Court Tightens Rules on Use of ‘Milk’ and ‘Cheese’ Labels for Plant-Based Products
University of Kentucky Postpones Feb. 19 Law Enforcement Training Exercise in Lexington
‘The only thing illegal is Keir Starmer handing these islands to a country like Mauritius!’
JD Vance says Germany is “killing itself” by taking in millions of fake asylum seekers from culturally incompatible nations.
UK Markets Signal Opportunity as Starmer Confronts Intensifying Political Pressure
Trump Criticises Newsom’s UK Climate Pact, Defends Federal Authority Over Foreign Engagements
UK’s Top Prosecutor Says ‘No One Is Above the Law’ as Police Review Claims Against Ex-Prince Andrew
Businessman Adam Brooks weighs in on the reports that the US is set to help Hamit Coskun flee the UK, over free speech concerns
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi Releases 3.5 Million Pages of Jeffrey Epstein Case Files
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Comment on European allies report blaming Russia for killing late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny using toxin from poison dart frogs
Eighty-Year-Old Lottery Winner Sentenced to 16.5 Years for Drug Trafficking
UK Quran Burner May Receive Asylum in the US Amid Legal Challenges
Rubio Calls for Sweeping U.N. Reform, Saying It Has Failed to End Wars in Gaza and Ukraine
10,000 Condoms Distributed at Winter Olympics 2026 Athlete Village Depleted Within 72 Hours
Poland's President Advocates for Evaluating Independent Nuclear Weapons Development
Prince William Meets Saudi Crown Prince as Epstein-Andrew Fallout Casts Shadow
Starmer Calls for Renewed ‘Hard Power’ Investment at European Security Summit
UK Police Establish National Taskforce to Handle Domestic Epstein-Linked Allegations
UK Court Rules Ban on Palestine Action Unlawful in Major Free Speech Test
UK Faces Prospect of Net Migration Turning Negative as Economic Impact Looms
Mayor of Serdobsk in Russia’s Penza Region Resigns After Housing Certificates Granted to Migrant Family Trigger Public Outcry
Pentagon Reviews Anthropic Partnership After Claude AI Reportedly Used in Operation Targeting Nicolás Maduro
President Donald Trump and Hip-Hop’s Political Realignment: Pardons, Public Endorsements, and the Struggle Over Cultural Influence
China’s EV Makers Face Mandatory Return to Physical Buttons and Door Handles in Driver-Distraction Safety Overhaul
Goldman Sachs and DP World Executive Resignations: Elite-Reputation Risk and Corporate Governance Fallout From the Epstein Disclosures
‘Amelia’: The UK Government’s Anti-Extremism Game Villain Who Became a Protest Symbol
Peter Mandelson Asked to Testify Before US Congress Over Jeffrey Epstein Links
Walmart's Earnings and UK Economic Data Highlight Upcoming Financial Trends
×