The Health Secretary has suggested that controversial plans to force all NHS staff in England to get jabbed are ‘under review'.

Sajid Javid said that because Omicron is less severe, unvaccinated employees pose less of a threat to patients than when the policy was introduced while the Delta variant was dominant last year.

But he insisted yesterday during an appearance before MPs on the Commons health committee that it was still their ‘professional duty' to get jabbed.

Mr Javid said 77,000 NHS staffers have not yet had the vaccine, about 5 per cent of the workforce, meaning they could be sacked if they are not vaccinated before the April deadline.

But he noted that the risk of getting severely ill with the virus has reduced since the decision to make jabs mandatory was made.