Covid: Boris Johnson says NHS under ‘huge pressure’ as he hits out at anti-vaxxers ‘spouting nonsense’

Boris Johnson has said it is “not true” that the NHS does not have enough staff to cope with the pressures it is facing - as 24 hospital trusts have now declared a critical emergency.

It comes as the Prime Minister also hit out at the “mumbo jumbo” and “nonsense” of anti-vaccine campaigners against coronavirus jabs.

‘Wave after wave of Covid’

Speaking to broadcasters on a visit to a vaccination centre in Moulton Park, Northampton, the Prime Minister said the pressures on hospitals are obvious.

“First of all, yes, I appreciate that the NHS is under huge pressure and yes, you’re quite right in what you say about the way it’s been continuous over the last 18 months – we’ve had wave after wave of Covid and our NHS has responded magnificently and they’ve kept going,” he said.

“And of course I understand how frustrating it is to see another wave coming in, and I thank doctors, nurses, all health staff, everybody, for what they’re doing to keep going.”

He added that staff numbers had been increased, and that combined with the calling back of retired staff and volunteers would ease the strain.

He insisted Omicron was milder than previous variants but said: “The pressures on hospitals are clear. What we’ve got to do is give the NHS all the help we can through the next period, with all the simplifications of systems, moving staff from one hospital to another, all the ways we can back staff up, but also make sure that the people who are likely to get ill get vaccinated first.”

‘Mumbo jumbo’

Sharing his stance on anti-vax campaigners, the Prime Minister said it’s time government called anti-vaxxers out.

“I want to say to the anti-vax campaigners, the people who are putting this mumbo jumbo on social media: they are completely wrong,” he said.

“You haven’t heard me say that before, because I think it’s important we have a voluntary approach in this country and we’re going to keep a voluntary approach.”

He said other European countries are going for “coercion”, and added: “What a tragedy that we’ve got all this pressure on the NHS, all the difficulties that our doctors and nurses are experiencing and we’ve got people out there spouting complete nonsense about vaccination.

“They are totally wrong, and I think it’s time that I, the government, call them out on what they’re doing. It’s absolutely wrong, it’s totally counterproductive, and the stuff they’re putting out on social media is complete mumbo jumbo.”

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