Q. What are the implications of no vaccination programme being 100% efficient?
Johnson says the vaccines supply a excessive safety in opposition to critical illness or dying, however at the second we are able to’t quantify what meaning when it comes to driving down the incidence of the virus and the velocity at which that may occur.
So we simply have to be cautious at the second, he provides.
Q. What implications of this for defending public well being? Will some measures like social distancing turn out to be everlasting?
Whitty says the threat will step by step go down, however whether or not it will get down to zero or to a case the place we’ve to do issues at varied factors in the season is simply too early to say.
By far the majority of the heavy lifting is completed by vaccination medicine and promising therapies (which the prime minister can’t pronounce) may also assist, he provides.
Q. As soon as colleges are reopened, will you wait to see what impact it has on an infection charges earlier than opening up anything?
Q. Will you announce another measures at the similar time, e.g. socialising outside?
Johnson says selections aren’t taken but.
Q. Are we seeing an impact of vaccinations on the dying charge but and if not, when?
Whitty says the early indications suggest there’s some impact nevertheless it’s too early to put a quantity on it. He expects in the subsequent few weeks we might, he provides.
Q. Are you able to assure this will be the final lockdown and will it be a really gradual easing? Ought to we rule out getaways at Easter?
Johnson says he can’t give that assure, although he is optimistic about the potentialities for opening up with vaccinations.
Q. Will the authorities commit to a psychological well being spokesperson at the subsequent briefing to set out how folks can entry help?
Johnson says the stresses and strains of lockdown are having an impression on folks, including that NHS psychological well being providers and psychological well being charities are nonetheless there to be accessed by those that want them.
I hope there isn’t for much longer to go now, he provides.
Whitty says certainly one of the subsequent precedence teams to obtain their first dose of the vaccine is individuals who have vital psychological well being issues.
They’re taking questions now.
Q. How will the NHS address stress to re-vaccinate folks yearly and resume regular well being provision?
Whitty says we nonetheless don’t understand how lengthy we are going to want between vaccinations and if there’ll be variants that escape the immunity the vaccine gives.
The vaccine would be redesigned round the new variant, he says. However we don’t understand how often this will be wanted, he provides.
It’ll in all probability fluctuate yr by yr, however in all probability received’t be on this scale, he says.
Stevens says 1000’s of volunteers and excessive avenue pharmacists have helped the vaccination effort, which is able to assist the ordinary NHS workforce.
Stevens is talking now.
Between now and the finish of April, those that have been invited for their first dose however haven’t come ahead, they will nonetheless achieve this by getting in contact with their GP, he says.
Folks may also get their second booster doses, he says, starting early-mid March, 12 weeks on from the first dose, at the similar place you had the first dose.
And the supply will be prolonged to a bigger group of individuals, for folks aged 65-69, he says, as properly as these with diabetes, coronary heart issues, studying difficulties and psychological sickness.
Eligible grownup carers may also be contacted by letter, he says.
The variety of folks receiving a primary dose of the vaccine is steadily going up, he says.
The primary layer of safety – the first dose – solely begins to work three weeks later, he says.
It’s essential folks return for their second dose, Whitty says.
They don’t but understand how efficient these vaccines are in opposition to transmission, he reiterates.
The extra we vaccinate out in the neighborhood, the extra we shield these most weak, he says.
The variety of folks dying stays excessive however is continuous to go down, he says.
The latest seven-day common is 657 deaths, now under the peak of the first wave, he provides.
Up to date
The variety of folks in hospital can also be coming down, however charges are nonetheless very excessive (barely above what they had been in April throughout the peak final yr), he says.
Whitty is talking now.
The variety of folks testing optimistic for Covid-19 is coming down steadily over time, nevertheless it’s nonetheless at fairly a excessive stage (above September final yr), he says.
We should be optimistic but additionally affected person, he says.
Subsequent week he will be setting out the route to normality, Johnson says, including that he needs this lockdown to be the final.