UK PM appoints Nadhim Zahawi as minister for COVID-19 vaccine deployment

The British government, on November 28, officially appointed Nadhim Zahawi as the minister responsible for COVID-19 vaccine deployment in the country. The announcement comes days after Labor Party leaders warned that the position was required to prevent mistakes previously committed over testing and PPE distribution. The news was shared on Twitter by Zahawi who termed it as “big responsibility and operational challenge”.

Zahawi, who is currently serving as the minister of the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy would serve the health ministry. As per Independent, the temporary position is set to last until next summer but could extend. The UK, which is aiming to deploy COVID-19 vaccines by December has reported over 1,589,301 coronavirus cases till now.

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UK's three-tier system

The appointment comes a day after PM Johnson said that the new COVID-19 alert level tier allocations, which will come into force in the UK on December 2, is the best way to prevent a spike in COVID-19. UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock had earlier informed of UK Government's plan to switch back to the three-tier restrictions system, which was initially introduced in October 2020, as the COVID-19 cases reduced in the country. Under the three-tier system, all parts of the UK will be identified and segregated under three-tiered restrictions—with tier one being medium alert, tier two being high alert and tier three as very high alert—depending on the number of coronavirus cases in the area. 

Speaking about it, Boris Johnson said, "These tougher tiers strike a balance. They're sufficient to continue driving the virus downwards, but it is important to recognize, they're less intrusive than the current national measures. In all tiers, shops, gyms, the leisure sector, hairdressers, other forms of personal care, places of worship, will reopen."

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