Health secretary reluctant to reduce isolation period to five days

The health secretary has appeared to reject calls to reduce the self-isolation period to five days for people who have tested positive for Covid but are fully vaccinated.

The period was reduced from ten to seven from 22 December.

“We’re not looking at changing that, our decisions are based on the latest evidence and we’re quite clear that where we are with seven days but you need those two negative lateral flow tests in the final two tests is the right balanced, proportionate approach,” the minister y told Sky News this afternoon.

Quizzed over potential further Covid restrictions, Mr Javid went on: “There’s nothing in the data at this point that suggests we need to move away from Plan B. I think implementing that has been the right approach and also being absolutely focused on the vaccination programme.

“With… over 75 per cent of eligible adults getting boosted, we still need to get through to that other 25 per cent and that can really, really make a difference with how this country gets through this pandemic”

“We do now know enough about omicron that the very best way to protect ourselves from hospitalisation and to protect our communities is through vaccination,” he said. “In the last few weeks we’ve all seen the big push on boosters and that’s because we know that two jabs aren’t enough but three jabs provide excellent protection and the NHS in the last few weeks especially has done an amazing job of rolling out those boosters with over 75 per cent of eligible adults now boosted but still much more to be done.

“And what I’ve seen here today at Montgomery Hall in Lambeth really fills me with confidence that we can continue to offer those vaccines. We do need more people to come forward, to continue coming forward to get protected for themselves and their community.