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Vaccine scams, medical staff shortage hit UK; toll over 80,000
Covid-19 indicators at various levels have gone beyond the last peak of March-April 2020, with the Boris Johnson government unleashing another information campaign to encourage people not to relax vigil and to follow lockdown restrictions strictly.
As the number of UK deaths crossed another grim figure of 80,000, authorities are grappling with thousands of ailing medical staff going on leave amidst increasing caseload on hospitals and growing concerns of vaccine scamsters targeting the elderly and vulnerable.
Covid-19 indicators at various levels have gone beyond the last peak of March-April 2020, with the Boris Johnson government unleashing another information campaign to encourage people not to relax vigil and to follow lockdown restrictions strictly.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “Our hospitals are under more pressure than at any other time since the start of the pandemic, and infection rates across the entire country continue to soar at an alarming rate.
“The vaccine has given us renewed hope in our fight against the virus but we must not be complacent. The NHS is under severe strain and we must take action to protect it, both so our doctors and nurses can continue to save lives and so they can vaccinate as many people as possible as quickly as we can.”
Labour leader Keir Starmer on Sunday reflected the concerns of experts when he told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show that the current curbs may not be strong enough to contain the virus and its variant that have spread exponentially since the norms were eased for Christmas.
The National Crime Agency issued a caution on vaccine scams that include people receiving text messages that seem genuine with NHS logo, informing recipients that they are eligible for the vaccine, and asking to click on a link, which seeks personal details and payment.
In one case, a scamster injected a 92-year-old woman and charged her £160, with no details of what she was injected with.
The vaccines are being administered free according to a priority list of groups of people considered most at risk. So far nearly 2 million people have received shots, including Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, who are in the most vulnerable group due to their age.
Graeme Biggar of the National Crime Agency said: “The current level of reported fraud in relation to the vaccine remains very low but is increasing. The advice is very simple. The vaccine is only available on the NHS, and you will never be asked to pay for it or to provide your bank details. Anything that suggests otherwise is a fraud.”
Cabinet Office minister Julia Lopez added: “I am sad to say that throughout the pandemic, we have seen fraudsters adapt their methods to take advantage of Covid support schemes and exploit the fears of vulnerable people when they feel at their most anxious”.
“This latest scam, which plays on people’s hopes for a vaccine, is one of the most callous and despicable so far, which is why we want to arm everyone with the knowledge that the NHS will never ask for cash or financial details to pay for the vaccine or verify a patient’s identity,” she added.
According to Chand Nagpaul of the British Medical Association, over 40,000 ailing medical professionals are on leave, while there has been no new recruitment, forcing hospitals to deal with increasing caseloads with lesser number of staff.
Chris Whitty, chief medical officer, said: “Hospitals are always busy in the winter but the NHS in some parts of the country is currently facing the most dangerous situation anyone can remember. If the virus continues on its current trajectory many hospitals will be in real difficulties, and very soon…There will be avoidable deaths”.
