Vaccinations for teachers not a priority, says Filey MP

Filey's MP, Kevin Hollinrake, has been explaining why teachers haven't been prioritised for vaccinations before going back to school.

Schools return today and there've been calls from many for them to be higher up the list.

They argue that they're are a good breeding ground for the virus, which can then be passed on outside.

Kevin says prioritising teachers for vaccinations isn't the most effective way to keep Coronavirus from causing serious illness.

He says that's based on data from the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations.

Kevin said:

"The key thing is reducing hospitalisations and serious illness. And what the JCVI has done is decide it's not occupational the risks of that - the principal risks are around age and your general health.

So what they do then, is priorotise the people who are most likely to get ill if they get the disease and that's what they do. So I think it's the right decision - it's not an easy call of course and lots of different occupations can say 'Well I'm a bus driver, I have people on my bus' - all sorts of things."

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Greatest Hits Radio app.

• filey mp
• kevin hollinrake
• coronavirus testing
• schools