by Lamiat Sabin
Parliamentary reporter

TRADE unions and Labour are calling for thousands of volunteers to help roll out Britain’s coronavirus vaccination programme.

Mass vaccination against Covid-19 would save the economy and the NHS a combined total of £6 billion and 23,000 jobs from being lost every week, according to Labour’s new calculations.

Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said: “These shocking figures show how every week that goes by, the damage is getting deeper and deeper.

“Thanks to our brilliant scientists we now have a light at the end of the tunnel. The vaccine must be rolled out swiftly and safely: delays will cost the economy billions of pounds.”

The figures come as Labour, the TUC and the Daily Mirror launched the #LetsVaccinateBritain campaign today in a drive to sign up 50,000 volunteers to help as vaccine-centre stewards.

Seven vaccination centres will open next week in London, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Surrey and Stevenage.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, deputy leader Angela Rayner and TUC general secretary Ms O’Grady wrote to trade unionists and Labour members asking them to join the effort.

The gap between the first dose and the booster has been stretched from three weeks to 12 weeks, against World Health Organisation guidance, due to limited amounts of vaccine available.

So far more than 1.1m people in England have been vaccinated.

Just 10 per cent of care home residents and 14 per cent of staff have received a vaccine.

Sir Keir raised concern over the lack of information regarding the amount of vaccine available over the next few weeks for GPs and vaccine centres.

But he said that the volunteer programme would help with the colossal effort to roll out the vaccination scheme.

Ms O’Grady said: “Trade unions always step up in times of national crisis. I am asking every trade unionist to get behind our brilliant NHS professionals – and get behind the campaign to get everyone vaccinated as quickly as possible. 

“We can all help by getting the jab, when it is our turn – and by encouraging friends and family to.”