GUERNSEY could follow the UK’s lead and vaccinate the entire population against swine flu.
The UK’s decision was made after an Essex man was confirmed on Friday as the first person without underlying health problems to have died from the virus.
Deputy Health and Social Services minister Barry Brehaut confirmed that board members would meet tomorrow and discuss the move. ‘We continuously monitor the UK situation,’ he said as the news broke yesterday. ‘Guernsey, wherever possible, would seek to mirror the UK, but what we are looking for is best practice.
Public health director Dr Stephen Bridgman will be at the meeting but was unavailable for comment yesterday.
UK ministers predict that as many as 20 million people could be inoculated before the end of the year.
National media reports say up to 90 million doses of the vaccine are expected to arrive in Britain in the next few weeks.
The UK is also planning to introduce a scheme that would allow workers to sign themselves off work for up to two weeks without requiring a sick note.
Guernsey introduced a similar scheme last week, which allows staff to sign their own doctor’s note for between four and seven days’ sick leave.
UK workers can already take up to a week off sick without requiring a doctor’s note.
- Guernsey has so far had 10 confirmed cases of the virus but with many more suspected and not confirmed.
Article posted on 13th July, 2009 - 2.29pm
One Article Comment
Why do we have to wait and see what UK is doing all the time. Surely we pay Guernsey politians to do their own thinking. Why wait, order the vaccine for swine flu and vaccinate the most vunerable first and then the rest and put the Guernsey publics minds at rest.We have enough money.
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