Covid vaccines are way through winter and out of pandemic, says Boris

Boris Johnson has repeated his call for everyone to get jabbed against Covid-19 and get their booster when called, insisting that vaccines will get the country through the winter and out of the pandemic.

The prime minister has resisted calls from health leaders for tighter restrictions despite the rising levels of infections.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said this week that new cases could reach 100,000 a day but Downing Street insisted there was still spare capacity in the NHS and that Plan B would only be activated if it came under “significant pressure”.

Plan B includes working-from-home guidance and the mandatory use of face masks.

Mr Johnson, who has said there are no plans for another lockdown, said: “Vaccines are our way through this winter.

“We’ve made phenomenal progress but our job isn’t finished yet, and we know that vaccine protection can drop after six months.”

Mr Johnson repeated calls for people to get their booster vaccination when called and to listen to the science to beat coronavirus.

“This is a call to everyone, whether you’re eligible for a booster, haven’t got round to your second dose yet, or your child is eligible for a dose - vaccines are safe, they save lives, and they are our way out of this pandemic,” he added.

Four million booster doses have already been administered, and the National Booking Service had its busiest week of booster bookings, with nearly half a million jabs booked over Wednesday and Thursday alone.

However experts recently warned that the rollout is extremely slow and that the dangers of waning immunity going into winter are clear.

Number 10 said that the coming months will bring higher transmission of the virus as explained in the autumn and winter plan.

A spokesperson continued: “Vaccines are our best line of defence but data shows that the natural immunity provided by vaccines will wane over time, particularly for older adults and those more at risk from Covid.”

Recent studies suggest protection against death falls from 95% to 80% for AstraZeneca after six months, and from 99% to 90% for Pfizer.

They added: “The booster programme is designed to top up this waning immunity for those most at risk over the winter months.

“A 15% drop in efficacy could lead to many more avoidable deaths and cases of severe illness from Covid.”

Early results from Pfizer shows that a booster dose can increase the protection from our vaccines back up to 95.6% against symptomatic infection.

“This additional protection is vital, and everyone aged over 50 or who is at high risk from Covid will be invited for their booster jab six months after their second dose.”

Elsewhere, the World Health Organisation warned the vaccine alone will not be able to lift the world out of the pandemic.

Spokesperson Margaret Harris told Times Radio: “The problem is focusing on one thing, the vaccine isn’t going to get us out of this.

“We really have to do other measures.

“We have got to be serious about not crowding. We have still got to be looking at wearing the masks, when you’re indoors particularly.”

Professor Peter Openshaw, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said case numbers and death rates are currently “unacceptable”.

He said measures such as working from home and mask wearing are “so important” as part of efforts to control the spread of Covid.

Speaking in a personal capacity, Prof Openshaw, of Imperial College London, told BBC Breakfast: “I’m very fearful that we’re going to have another lockdown Christmas if we don’t act soon.

“We know that with public health measures the time to act is immediately. There’s no point in delaying.

“If you do delay then you need to take even more stringent actions later. The immediacy of response is absolutely vital if you’re going to get things under control.”

Prof Openshaw added: “We all really, really want a wonderful family Christmas where we can all get back together.

“If that’s what we want, we need to get these measures in place now in order to get transmission rates right down so that we can actually get together and see one another over Christmas.”

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