Wolverhampton ring road protest against Covid vaccines for teenagers
Anti-vaxxers gathered along Wolverhampton's Ring Road on Wednesday evening to protest against the Covid vaccination of teenagers.
A group of around twenty protestors were stood on either side of the A4150, between Ring Road St Andrews and Ring Road St Peters, during the evening rush hour, holding large yellow signs.
They featured statements including "Why vaccinate teens?", "These vaccines are harming our teens", "Even killing them" and "Honk if your concerned" aimed at gaining motorists attention.
Other signs said "Can we trust the media" and "Or do the media push agendas?".
The protestors stayed on the pathways, and there is no suggestion that they caused any obstruction on the highway.
Witness Aaron Humphriss saw the protesters, but disagreed with their messages.
"The vaccines are effective and are saving countless lives. It is essential to remember that our choice to get vaccinated affects not only ourselves but those around us," he said.
"As such, I feel we have a moral obligation to do everything we can to protect the most vulnerable. Getting vaccinated, therefore, is a simple but profound act of love and care for our neighbour. "
Covid vaccinations were first offered to 16 and 17-year-olds at the beginning of August. The NHS reports that by September 2, 50 per cent of all teenagers in England aged 16 and 17 had had their first Covid jab, amounting to more than 620,000 young adults.
Dr Nikki Kanani, GP and Deputy Lead for NHS England's vaccination programme, said on September 2: "Uptake among young people continues to be strong and thanks to the non-stop efforts of NHS staff and volunteers, half of all 16 and 17 year olds have had their vaccine since becoming eligible last month, giving them the best possible protection against the virus."
Official figures for Wolverhampton have recorded that 156 people had a confirmed positive Covid test today (Wednesday September 22) and there were 931 positive cases since September 16, an increase of 7.8 per cent compared to the previous seven days.
As of September 14 there were 38 patients in hospital in the city with Covid.
Between September 6 and September 12, 55 people went into hospital with Covid, a decrease of 17.9 per cent compared with the previous seven days.
