Kate Garraway clashes with guest during fiery debate about Covid vaccine passports
Kate Garraway clashed with a guest on Tuesday’s episode of Good Morning Britain during a fiery debate about Covid vaccine passports.
The presenter, 53, pointed out that everyone is making ‘many sacrifices’ as commentator Dominique Samuels, 22, argued that the idea of vaccine passports is ‘ridiculous’ and claimed it was ‘mandating vaccines through the backdoor’.
It comes as Kate’s ailing husband Derek Draper, 53, continues his slow recovery from coronavirus, the presenter hasn’t seen him since Christmas.
Debate: Kate Garraway clashed with a guest on Tuesday’s episode of Good Morning Britain during a fiery debate about Covid vaccine passports
During the fiery debate, Samuels argued that the idea of a Covid vaccine passport domestically will ‘greatly impact young people’ and create a class in society of ‘the vaccinated vs the unvaccinated’.
Kate argued back, saying: ‘We’re all having to do things we’d rather not do… we don’t want to stay at home, we don’t want to be in lockdown.’
She added: ‘We’d love to go see our loved ones, but we can’t. We’d love to go visit the people in hospital, there are many, many sacrifices people are making.’
Starting the debate, Samuels said: ‘I mean it’s a ridiculous idea for a few reasons, I cant even believe that we’re having this conversation.
Fiery: The presenter, 53, pointed out that everyone is making ‘many sacrifices’ as commentator Dominique Samuels, 22, argued that the idea of vaccine passports is ‘ridiculous’ and claimed it was ‘mandating vaccines through the backdoor’
‘But the first being, this is mandating vaccines, by deciding who can and can’t do things in society, such as bars and restaurants, when the government has said it would never go down the road of mandating vaccines.
‘This is mandating vaccines just through the backdoor, what’s even the point of the vaccination programme when those that are most vulnerable in society account for about 80 to 90% of the hospitalisation and deaths will be protected by the vaccine.
‘Why do we need to go down the route of excluding other people from society and stop them from using facilities. This is essentially creating a class of two people in society, the vaccinated vs the unvaccinated.
‘This will greatly impact young people. imagine being a young person, going through lockdown when you’ve not really been affected by coronavirus, having your job prospects slashed.
Battle: It comes as Kate’s ailing husband Derek Draper continues his slow recovery from coronavirus, the presenter hasn’t seen him since Christmas (pictured December 2019)
‘Then on top of that, not even being able to participate in getting the economy moving again. Let’s be honest, the hospitality sector in particular greatly relies on the custom of young people, particularly in university cities.’
Kate was quick to argue back as she clashed with the commentator’s views, arguing that everyone is making ‘sacrifices’.
She said: ‘They would make the choice that they would rather not be vaccinated and potentially help to protect those around them, that would mean that they can’t go to the pub. They weren’t safe to go to the pub, that would be their choice.
‘No one is stopping them going, they would be choosing to make a decision, out of their own opinions, which then yes, might mean they couldn’t do those things. Why is that unfair compared with risking someone’s life?’
To which Samuels hit back with: ‘Well that’s based upon your idea of freedom not being forced to do something is but you are inadvertently being forced to take a vaccine there are many people who don’t want to take vaccines.’
Clash: During the fiery debate, Samuels, left, argued that the idea of a Covid vaccine passport domestically will ‘greatly impact young people’ and create a class in society of ‘the vaccinated vs the unvaccinated’
With Kate responding: ‘No, you are only being asked to take it if you want to do that activity, I mean I understand the point you’re driving at, there are people that are fearful of the vaccine.
‘There are people who don’t want to take the vaccine but you know we’re in a situation where we’re all having to do things we’d rather not do…
‘We don’t want to stay at home, we don’t want to be in lockdown, a lot of people don’t want to wear masks, a lot of people don’t want to do all sorts of things.
‘We’d love to go see our loved ones, but we can’t. We’d love to go visit the people in hospital, there are many, many sacrifices people are making.’
She concluded: ‘The argument would be… that if you choose not to have the vaccine, that is your choice, but it has consequences.’
Sacrifices: Kate said: ‘We’d love to go see our loved ones, but we can’t. We’d love to go visit the people in hospital, there are many, many sacrifices people are making.’
On Sunday, Boris Johnson promised Britons that they will not need to carry a ‘vaccine passport’ to go to the pub when the country eventually escapes lockdown.
The Prime Minister shot down reports the controversial scheme is being looked at as a tactic to keep the economy open when restrictions are finally lifted.
But he conceded that some form of proof of vaccination will likely be needed to get international travel back up and running in the future.
During a visit to a community vaccination centre in Orpington, South East London, today, the PM said: ‘I think inevitably there will be great interest in ideas like can you show that you had a vaccination against Covid in the way that you sometimes have to show you have had a vaccination against Yellow Fever or other diseases in order to travel somewhere.
‘I think that is going to be very much in the mix down the road, I think that is going to happen. What I don’t think we will have in this country is – as it were – vaccination passports to allow you to go to, say, the pub or something like that.’
Covid vaccine passport: Kate concluded: ‘The argument would be… that if you choose not to have the vaccine, that is your choice, but it has consequences.’a
Matt Hancock echoed the Prime Minister’s comments, saying the UK was ‘working’ with countries looking at banning unvaccinated travellers. The Health Secretary said the Governments ‘wants Brits to be able to travel’.
The vaccine passport scheme has been mired in confusion since it was first touted in late December.
Eight firms have been awarded Government grants to develop the technology but No10 has repeatedly said such documents will not be introduced in the UK.
There have also been a series of contradictory statements from ministers about how the scheme would be used, with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab yesterday hinting it could be deployed in supermarkets and the hospitality sector.
Critics say a passport-style scheme would be ‘discriminatory’ and make the voluntary jabs mandatory by proxy.
Reports: On Sunday, Boris Johnson promised Britons that they will not need to carry a ‘vaccine passport’ to go to the pub when the country eventually escapes lockdown
The Prime Minister also said that he expects there to be an increase in ‘rapid testing’ as more of the population is vaccinated and the UK comes out of its lockdown.
Just last week, Kate emotionally revealed that she hasn’t seen ailing husband Derek since Christmas as he continues his slow recovery from COVID-19.
The Good Morning Britain presenter has been a constant by Derek’s side following his hospitalisation with the potentially deadly virus in March 2020.
Appearing on the show, Kate revealed she hadn’t seen her husband in almost two months following a surge in infections – and explained her ITV employers had given her leave after she found herself struggling to cope.
The broadcaster has been unable to see Derek, 53, due to new restrictions introduced during the third lockdown, which bans any visitors on the ward where he is recovering.
Technology: Eight firms have been awarded Government grants to develop vaccine passport technology, many of which use scannable QR codes (file)
Kate said: ‘I haven’t been able to see him [Derek], I haven’t seen him since Christmas. He’s back in a situation now looking at strangers in masks.
‘I think that’s a situation for everybody whose got someone they love in hospital at the moment it’s not unique to him.’
The mother-of-two explained she decided to take some time off from GMB after ‘not feeling well’ following a ‘long year’.
Kate said: ‘I’ve taken some time off; very kindly ITV have given me some time off, I hadn’t been feeling very well.
‘I think it might have been one of those things where chickens had come home to roost after a long year that we’ve all had, haven’t we?
‘I took some holiday leave, at home because I know holidays are controversial, literally within the four walls of my home.
Struggle: Just last week, Kate emotionally revealed that she hasn’t seen ailing husband Derek since Christmas as he continues his slow recovery from COVID-19
‘I had a lot of sleep and a bit of medicine and feeling much better.’
Kate admitted she is finding her current situation ‘really tough’ because it feels like there is ‘no end in sight’.
She explained: ‘It’s tough, it’s also the same for people in care homes. When you’re someone like him who is dealing with unconsciousness problems and trying to emerge, I can’t help but fear that it’s not helpful.
‘There is no end in sight to that and that’s really tough.’
Kate also revealed she was keen to discuss the ongoing health crisis with Britain’s Health Secretary, a guest on the show later that morning.
She said: ‘We’ve got Matt Hancock coming on the show a little bit later on.
‘Long battle’: The Good Morning Britain presenter has been a constant by Derek’s side following his hospitalisation with the potentially deadly virus in March 2020 (pictured in December 2019)
‘I haven’t spoken to him since Derek got sick and there’s lots of things to ask, but there’s no one to blame here it’s the situation we’re all in.’
In September, Derek passed the grim milestone of becoming the longest patient battling coronavirus in hospital in the UK, with doctors telling Kate that Derek’s infection was the ‘highest they had seen in a patient who had lived’.
Reflecting on her last hospital visit with their two children Darcey, 14 and William, 11 in December, she admitted the family reunion was ‘heightened with emotion’ because they saw how Derek had been ravaged by the virus.
‘It was very heightened with emotion, because he’s very changed,’ she told viewers earlier this month.
‘So all the routines that we’d normally do, it was one of those moments that it was so wonderful but also it amplified how sad everything was.
‘And how different it is. But it was still fantastic, and we’re very grateful to have had that opportunity.’
Stricken: In September, Derek passed the grim milestone of becoming the longest patient battling coronavirus in hospital in the UK (pictured with Kate and their children in late 2019)
The presenter also spoke to co-hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid about her upcoming book, The Power Of Hope, which will detail the last year of her family’s life.
She said: ‘It’s been a strange time, I’ve been a bit low since Christmas – physically low, I felt physically at the end of my tether and had to regroup a bit.
‘This week, a friend of mine’s mother-in-law, who is 51 – younger than me – died from COVID.
‘She got it at Christmas, it went down very quickly and she died, I just thought I can’t believe that here we are so far on.’
While Derek no longer has coronavirus, the disease has left him suffering from multiple health conditions including diabetes and holes in his heart and lungs
‘Derek’s still ravaged from the effects of COVID from way back in March, his recovery is incredibly uncertain,’ she added.
Distance: Appearing on Good Morning Britain earlier this month, Kate revealed she hadn’t seen her husband in almost two months following a surge in infections
‘I’m trying to look for new things and new ways and talking to doctors about what we can do for him meanwhile people are still dying in extraordinary numbers – people that aren’t older and haven’t got underlying conditions, it’s unbearable.’
During one of her darkest moments Kate was told her husband may ‘never come out of a coma’ amid his ongoing battle against coronavirus.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain last month, Piers urged viewers to take the virus seriously and made the stark revelation that former lobbyist and political advisor Derek remains in perilous condition.
In his desperate message to viewers, Piers said: ‘We know from our colleague Kate Garraway, whose husband is still in a coma from Covid. He may never come out of that coma. She’s been told this, and it’s heartbreaking.’
He had previously revealed that Derek now has holes in his heart and lungs and has lost eight stone during his battle against the deadly virus.
In August, Kate revealed she was writing a self-help book but explained that she was given the deal before Derek’s illness and was tweaking the book to include ‘insights’ from the ordeal.
Derek has regained minimal consciousness from his medically induced coma and while he has not been speaking, he heartbreakingly mouthed the word ‘pain’ in October last year.
Speaking on the 5 Years Time podcast in January, Kate confessed that after months of uncertainty, she is still unsure if Derek will recover, but is continuing to hold out hope.
She explained: ‘It’s been really tough for us. Derek got really sick in the beginning of March…
‘Even though we’re hoping he can recover, it’s taking a very, very long time. We don’t know how much he can recover. So that’s impacted on us obviously dramatically. So, it’s been really difficult.’
Revealing that she had a more positive outlook this year, she added: ‘Everybody is hoping 2021 will bring just a bit of hope and relief.
‘The vaccine is here now, so everybody is hoping that will help COVID I think, and help us regain some normality.’
Sad: Reflecting on her last hospital visit with their two children Darcey, 14 and William, 11, (pictured in February 2019), Kate admitted the family reunion was ‘heightened with emotion’
She also revealing the poignant words Piers told her in March 2020 when Derek was first hospitalised.
Her co-star had referenced a cartoon comic that now-President Joe Biden told him about after losing his son; an animation of someone asking God: ‘Why me?’, and God replying: ‘Why not?’
Kate explained that she sees that cartoon as inspirational, telling Piers and Susanna: ‘It works to inspire you with confidence, what was so powerful about taking that message on board is you don’t waste energy on the unfairness of the world, you pour it into trying to solve it.
‘I then started saying, when they told me that Derek’s chances of survival were next to nothing and will probably die…
‘But some people were surviving it, and I thought: ‘Well, why not? Why can’t Derek survive?’ and ‘Why can’t Derek now be the one who bucks his damage and recovers? »
‘You can start to flip it to shift away the unfairness and try and take it as a positive, and think why not me be the one who comes through this?
‘I think it just takes away that grinding horror of unfairness in all situations.’
Kate also noted that returning to work on GMB and hosting Smooth Radio has provided a welcome distraction amid her personal crisis.