The mandatory jabs rule for health care workers was approaching its deadline - with nurses and doctors who chose not to receive the Covid vaccine at risk of losing their jobs.
This rule - now set to be scrapped - required all frontline health care workers to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus unless they were exempt.
The move was controversial, with several NHS staff in England who do not wish to have the jab fearing for their careers.
Those sacked welcomed the government U-turn on the policy.
The government hopes that the vaccine roll-out will be effective in the UK learning to move and move forward with the virus.
The Omicron variant recently swept through the country causing a record number of cases.
So why have the plans been scrapped?
Why have the mandatory jab plans been axed?
For NHS workers in England, the mandatory jab deadline was for April 1.
From that date frontline health workers must have been fully vaccinated unless exempt, or face redeployment or the sack.
An estimated 40,000 people lost their jobs in November 2021 as a result of a similar rule affecting care home staff. A further 77,000 NHS workers are not fully vaccinated and could have faced a huge amount of redeployments and sackings.
The earliest an unvaccinated frontline NHS worker could have received their first dose was on Thursday, February 3.
A number of medical institutions raised concerns about the idea of a mandatory jab.
Though 95% of NHS workers have been jabbed, for the 77,000 who have not, the British Medical Association (BMA) said: "The BMA is strongly in favour of vaccination and encourages all of our members to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
"We believe mandating [Covid] vaccination raises a number of complicated ethical and practical issues"
The Royal College of GPs published a similar stance, encouraging people to get vaccinated.
It added: "However, whilst we understand the desire of some people to make vaccination mandatory, we don’t agree with it as informed and educated choice about health interventions would be more beneficial long-term than enforcing them, which risks leading to resentment and mistrust."
What now for sacked care workers?
Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced the U-turn while standing by his original decision.
Mr Javid made the announcement to the House of Commons earlier this week.
"I believe it is no longer proportionate to require vaccination as a condition of employment through statute," he said, "so today, I am announcing we will launch a consultation on ending vaccination as a condition of deployment in health and all social care settings.
"Subject to the responses, and the will of this House, the government will revoke the regulations."
Care workers were forced out of their roles last November as a result of the Covid vaccine mandate and Javid's comments will come as little consolation to around 40,000 people who lost their jobs.
One care worker broke down in tears on This Morning as she discussed losing her job.
Louise Akester said: "When I was there, I was getting all the praise and all the thanks. I felt good because I was there, I was helping. I was doing my bit. After they said to me, they didn't want to lose me, I was one of the best workers. All the residents absolutely love you."
Louise has since gone on to retrain as a lorry driver.
