Almost half of Britons believe teachers and nursery workers should be next in line to receive the Covid vaccine after the current priority groups have been vaccinated.
A poll by Ipsos MORI shows that the public believes teachers should be first on the list of the next priority groups - followed by emergency services personnel, such as firefighters and police officers, and supermarket workers.
The poll follows strong support for the move across government, with education secretary Gavin Williamson and health secretary Matt Hancock saying this week that teachers had “a good shout” for priority jabs.
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And the NASUWT teaching union has also rallied support through its #Vaccinate2Educate campaign.
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NASUWT general secretary Patrick Roach said: “We are now on the brink of securing priority access to vaccines for teachers and education staff, which will help to ensure they are not only safer at work but it demonstrates we are the union that is leading on protecting children’s rights to education.
“Add your voice to our campaign and when the vaccine is offered, we encourage you to get it.”
In the Ipsos MORI poll, 46 per cent of respondents said they believed teachers and nursery workers should be next in line to receive the Covid vaccine after currently prioritised groups. A further 21 per cent said they should be second priority. Over half of those aged 55 to 75 wanted teachers and nursery workers prioritised (54 per cent); however, this proportion fell to only a third (35 per cent) of 18- to 34-year olds.
Kelly Beaver, managing director of public affairs at Ipsos MORI, said: “The prioritisation of who gets a vaccine is a tough choice for any government, who have to weigh up a range of issues when it comes to deciding who gets the vaccine and when.
“But the British public are clear that after the currently prioritised groups, it’s our teachers and emergency workers who should be next in line for the Covid-19 vaccine, even ahead of those aged 60 to 69.”
The current priority list, drawn up on recommendations by the government’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), contains nine groups including the over-80s at the top followed by the over-75s, while the over-50s are bottom of the list, which also includes health and social care workers.
The JCVI says it will be making recommendations “in due course” as to which occupations will be prioritised for phase 2 of the vaccine rollout once these groups have been vaccinated. Other priority groups alongside teachers could include first responders, the military, those involved in the justice system, transport workers and public servants essential to the pandemic response, says the JCVI.
