THOUSANDS of care home staff will lose their jobs today for not having their Covid jabs.

Even those who have had one dose will not be allowed shifts until they have had both.

NHS figures show 34,000 employees are set to be pulled off the front line because of the rule.

Only a few thousand have medical reasons not to get vaccinated, and thousands who have had only a single dose will be unable to work until they have had their second.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: “This is all about patient safety. We know that people, whether they are in care homes or they are in a hospital bed, are particularly vulnerable to this virus and it could be fatal.

“It’s our duty to do everything we can to protect them.”

The government yesterday rejected last-minute calls for a deadline extension to April in line with NHS staff and home carers. Care organisations fear a winter staff shortage and insiders say homes could lose one or two carers, on average.

The National Care Forum said 58 per cent of its members are running disciplinary hearings related to the law and half have had to pay out for legal advice.

Dave Kelly, 32, who has lost his care-worker job in Merseyside, says he feels betrayed.

He said: “I am most annoyed at how we have been allowed to work the front lines with little to no protection the entire time, yet we are now an instant danger.”

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