Dan Wootton: Government needs to level with us about the future of the vaccine programme

The more we learn about the Covid-19 vaccine, the more obvious it becomes that using it must be a personal choice.

I say this as someone with an appreciation of experimental science and healthy appetite for medical risk who has taken the decision to be jabbed.

But that was my decision to make, weighing up my personal health profile with the potential side effects.

The UK government today admitted it was investigating the risk the vaccine presents to children but my fear is that still won't deter those in power trying to take your choice away from you and, perhaps eventually, from your children.

This is despite the admittedly, low risk of blood clots from the AstraZenaca jab and the potential increased risk of heart attacks from MRNA jabs, as reported by GB News but ignored by much of the media.

Now, I repeat, I have made the decision to be injected, but I respect those who don’t, especially parents who don't want to vaccinate their children who have virtually no risk of becoming seriously ill from Covid.

But that’s not how the media and those in power feel about it, as illustrated by two extraordinary interventions yesterday.

European Union chief Ursula Von Der Leyon had the gall to suggest the sick compulsory vaccine law of Austria should be rolled out throughout EU member states – to hell with the consequences to human rights.

Germany is already heading in that direction; today deciding to exclude the unvaccinated from shops and leisure venues, as it continues a disturbing march towards compulsory vaccination.

Meanwhile, back here, LBC’s usually brilliant Nick Ferrari – a man who I have great respect for – caused outrage after suggesting Brits who choose not to be vaccinated should be fined.

Surely, this is not the British way.

I think one of the fundamental planks of a free democracy is the right to make independent choices about what goes in our bodies.

Today we learned that the government has signed a deal with the MRNA vaccine companies Pfizer and Moderna for a further 115 million doses that will likely see a fourth jab and potentially further boosters across 2022 and 2023.

That means we’ve now secured 453.5 million Covid vaccine doses total, which could see the entire population vaccinated six times over.

Maybe this is a great thing.

But it is a long way from the 15 million jabs to freedom we were promised in January.

It’s even further from the message that being double jabbed will secure the end of lockdowns and return all your personal freedoms.

Are we being asked to be jabbed every three to six months for the next two years?

Or is this going to become a regular part of life forever more, as the chief executive of Pfizer suggested today?

And does it really matter anyway if most of the developing world, especially the vulnerable, remain unvaccinated?

I think it’s time for the government to offer us some clear and honest messaging about their plans.

Level with us about the future of the vaccine programme.

But, above anything else, assure us categorically that those who make the difficult personal choice to turn down the vaccine, stick to two jabs or refuse the injection for their children are not going to be shunned from society or penalised financially.

That would start rebuilding trust with the vaccine hesitant who are the folk the government wants to win over most.