COVID-19: Vaccinated people must follow lockdown rules as they can spread coronavirus, says Jonathan Van-Tam | UK News

Getting your COVID-19 vaccination doesn’t mean you can break free from lockdown or other restrictions.

This is the warning from England’s deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam who says the millions who have been shot must still obey the rules of social distancing.

Those who refuse risk prolonging the pandemic and the restrictions associated with it, he said, adding that they could also endanger those who are vulnerable but lower on the priority list.

Some 478,248 people received a dose of the vaccine on Saturday, meaning 5.8 million people received the first of two required doses.

But Prof Van-Tam said that while vaccination can prevent serious illness, it is not yet known whether it prevents transmission of the virus. coronavirus.

He wrote in the Sunday Telegraph: “Even after receiving both doses of the vaccine, you can still give COVID to someone else and the chains of transmission will then continue.

“If you change your behavior, you could still spread the virus, keep the number of cases high and put others at risk who also need their shots but are further in the queue.

“Whether someone has been vaccinated or not, it is critical that everyone follow national restrictions and public health advice, as protection takes up to three weeks to take effect and we do not yet know the impact of vaccines on transmission.

“The vaccine has brought a lot of hope and we are in the last stage of the pandemic, but for now, vaccinated or not, we still have to follow the guidelines a little longer.”

Professor Van-Tam also repeated the reasoning between the government’s vaccination strategy following growing concerns from some medical experts over the decision to extend the gap between the first and second dose to 12 weeks.

The British Medical Association has called for rethinking politics, saying the Pfizer vaccine is recommended with a six-week interval between doses.

Professor Van-Tam said the government’s goal is to provide a first dose to as many people as possible, meaning more people would have at least some protection rather than fewer people would benefit from protection. stronger.

He said: “But what none of these (who ask reasonable questions) will tell me is who on the risk list should suffer from slower access to their first dose so that someone ‘someone else who’s already had a dose (and therefore most protection) can get a second? “

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Meanwhile, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is expected to rule out a return to class for students after the mid-February break.

The Sunday Times reported that parents should be prepared for a long period of home schooling, possibly until after the Easter break.

Ministers are also expected to meet this week to discuss a proposal for require UK arrivals to pay for quarantine in a designated hotel for 10 days, similar to programs in Australia and New Zealand.

Government sources say it’s all over border closure is not the likely outcome of the talks, it is still an option.

As of Monday, 32 more vaccination sites are expected to open across England, including one at the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, which was featured in the hit TV series Peaky Blinders.

The new vaccination centers will focus on providing jabs to health and social workers, before opening their doors to other priority patients.

Steps are also being taken to provide thousands of rapid turnover tests to companies so that workers without symptoms of coronavirus can be tested.

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The tests will be for those who cannot work from home, such as those in the food, manufacturing, energy, retail, transportation and military sectors.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “Lateral flow testing has already been extremely effective in finding positive cases that we wouldn’t otherwise find and I encourage employers and workers to take up this offer to help. to protect essential services and businesses. “

The UK recorded 1,348 more coronavirus-related deaths and 33,552 cases on Saturday, according to the latest government figures.