Public may need to wear face masks until next winter despite coronavirus vaccine rollout

Sir Patrick Vallance said masks and other measures may need to be in place until next winter
The public may be required to wear face masks until winter next year
PA

The Government’s chief scientific officer has warned the public may need to wear face masks for another year despite the rollout of a coronavirus vaccine.

Sir Patrick Vallance hailed the beginning of the UK’s largest ever immunisation programme as a "tremendous day,” but said life may not start returning to normal until spring 2021.

"It may be that next winter even with vaccination we need measures like masks in place,” he said. “We don't know yet how good all the vaccines are going to be at preventing the transmission of the virus."

It comes after hopes for an end to the coronavirus pandemic were raised with the rollout of the first vaccine to the most vulnerable.

Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance
POOL/AFP via Getty Images

It is thought hundreds of people were vaccinated at 70 hospital hubs across the UK on Tuesday - dubbed "V-Day" by Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

Among the health staff, care home workers and elderly who got the jab was 90-year-old Margaret Keenan who said she felt "so privileged" to be the first person in the world given the Pfizer vaccine against Covid-19 outside clinical trials.

Amid the jubilance, Mr Hancock cautioned that the guidance still needs to be followed, as the vaccine is rolled out over the coming months.

Coronavirus - In pictures

1/80

He added: "Let's not blow it since we can see the answer is on the horizon."

Sir Patrick is due to appear alongside England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty and deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries at a joint session of the Science and Technology Committee and Health and Social Care Committee on Wednesday.

They will be joined by Dr June Raine, chief executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and questioned on various topics related to the handling of the pandemic, including vaccination.

The MHRA approved the Pfizer vaccine and is currently considering the Oxford/AstraZeneca and Moderna jabs.

Oxford researchers have said more detail is required on how effective their vaccine - of which the UK has secured 100 million doses - is in older adults, the group at most risk of severe Covid-19.

But, writing in The Lancet medical journal, the researchers said there were no admissions to hospital or severe disease in people receiving the vaccine, and chief investigator of the trial Professor Andrew Pollard said it "has a good safety record and efficacy".

Mr Hancock said he hopes vaccinations in care homes in England can "start before Christmas".

In Northern Ireland, residents and staff at a care home were vaccinated on Tuesday.

A person aged 100 was among 25 vulnerable occupants and 35 staff to receive the Covid-19 jab at an East Belfast home which specialises in supporting those with dementia.

Campaigners have warned that scores of poorer countries are at risk of being left behind when it comes to accessing Covid-19 vaccines, with rich nations "hoarding" stock.

Data shows rich nations representing just 14 per cent of the world's population have bought up 53 per cent of all the most promising vaccines so far, according to the People's Vaccine Alliance.

The group - which includes organisations such as Oxfam and Amnesty International - is calling for governments to take "urgent action" alongside the pharmaceutical industry to share technology and intellectual property to ensure enough vaccine doses are produced for a global rollout.

Meanwhile, Wales has announced it is cutting its isolation and quarantine period from 14 days to 10, with the change coming into effect from Thursday.

In England, Scotland and Northern Ireland people from the same household as someone who has tested positive must isolate for 14 days, and travellers coming in from non-exempt countries must also quarantine for two weeks.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in