1: Nameless: As soon as everybody who’s weak has been vaccinated, can we return to life as regular? Are you hoping to elevate restrictions after the primary vaccination wave ends in mid February?
JVT: “We’re in a extremely harmful place now – you’ll be able to see what it’s like in hospitals.
“I fully perceive that folks wish to know after we can elevate restrictions. It’s pure.
“However no vaccine goes to vary and switch the ship round in a single day.
“We’re going to have a really troublesome couple of months.
“Once we are assured that we have now received on high of the extreme illness and are bringing an infection ranges down, then we will advise authorities ministers about what flexibility they’ve to begin to calm down the principles.
“However right here is the rub on this – if individuals begin enjoyable now they’ll give the vaccine a headwind to run into, and they’ll make it more durable for us to get these results we wish to see so badly.”
2: Sam Irving – If everyone seems to be given a vaccine by Autumn, why discuss of restrictions subsequent winter?
JVT: “I don’t suppose we’re ever going to take this virus away out of humankind. I feel the virus goes to proceed to vary over time, because the illness has already proven indicators of doing.
“And I feel the virus is more likely to be with us most likely for the foreseeable future – most likely in the identical means that flu is.
“I can’t let you know how lengthy the vaccine safety goes to final for. We’re very hopeful it’ll be within the area of a really excessive variety of months, probably a small variety of years. However we will’t say but.
“If the virus goes to proceed to vary there’ll come some extent the place we must reformulate the vaccines.”
3 : Luke – Will face masks nonetheless must be used even when everyone seems to be vaccinated ?
JVT: “The pandemic has modified a whole lot of issues. It has modified the best way you and I strategy hand hygiene. All of us carry hand sanitiser round now, all of us anticipate in a lot of the locations we go into that hand sanitiser is offered on the door.
“I feel there are going to be individuals who make a private choice to say, what, after I’m in a crowded place within the winter I’m going to place a face overlaying on. Once I’m on a tube I’m going to place a face overlaying on.
“I actually don’t suppose the federal government has any intention that we must always all stroll round ceaselessly and a day distinguishing one another solely by peering by way of a face overlaying.
“However I feel people at totally different ranges will select to maintain among the an infection precautionary behaviour that we have now needed to undertake as a matter of absolute necessity throughout Covid.”
4: Daybreak Douglas – I am fairly involved about queuing with different individuals to get the vaccine. I have been shielding since March and anxious there is a danger of catching covid with plenty of different individuals inside and no air flow.
JVT: “I’ve seen these queues in among the images outdoors the vaccination centres. I perceive that concern – however bear in mind outdoors is open air and the dangers are extraordinarily low.
“I’ve additionally carried out a few shifts as a vaccinator in vaccination centres, and I’ve by no means seen 2m social distancing as rigidly enforced by employees and the marks on the ground as I’ve in these vaccination centres.”
5: Aniko Simon – Why are we ready 12 weeks to ship the second jab when Europe is doing it 24 days later?
JVT: “The UK’s provide is constrained. Each nation on this planet desires these vaccines.
“I feel that may be a straight ahead, virtually zero sum alternative actually. I’ve talked about my mum, but it surely’s not nearly my mum it’s about your mum too and different individuals’s mums.
“If we have now received to get as many mums and dads who’re older, protected, as a lot as we will within the shortest time we will, then the best technique has received to be to share out what we have now received in essentially the most environment friendly means for the entire inhabitants.”
6: David Corridor – Can we combine and match the Oxford and Pfizer vaccines?
JVT: “In the mean time our recommendation is not any, as a result of we don’t have any information. However do I feel that’s inherently unsafe? No.
“Are we going to do research to grasp how these vaccines may be used one after the opposite sooner or later? Completely.”
7: Snap Dragon – When an individual has acquired each doses of the vaccine and it has taken impact, will they be capable to drop their very own restrictions in order that they will make bodily contact with household and pals?
JVT: “No. No. It’s a flat no on that one.
“We all know that the vaccines are efficient in stopping an infection. We don’t know if they’re efficient in stopping transmission.
“Though it’s a extremely laborious factor for individuals who have been vaccinated to swallow, the principles nonetheless apply. They apply to the vaccinated and the unvaccinated.
“Till we have now received tens of tens of millions of individuals vaccinated, the place we have now received tangible proof on decreasing transmission, and the place we will see illness charges falling within the inhabitants and be assured we’re in the best place.
“That isn’t till, my guess, the mid to late Spring.
“In the event that they calm down too quickly they’ll give this vaccine a headwind wherein to do its work.
“The vaccine results are going to take three months till we see them correctly, and till then nobody can calm down.”
8. Zakk Kaye – Do you blame members of the general public who’ve grow to be complacent and careless for the extreme enhance in circumstances, and sadly deaths just lately?
JVT: “I don’t suppose it’s a query of blame. It’s a query of the truth that we have now lived with these restrictions in a roundabout way form or type for therefore lengthy we learnt to handle that our personal means.
“And we neglect {that a} new variant emerged and have become dominant in the previous few months of 2020.
“We’re simply not in a secure area in any respect. And other people can’t afford to make up their very own guidelines.
“Any person has mentioned – I don’t go to supermarkets however I do meet up with my pals.
“Effectively, I’m sorry – all the principles apply all the time.”
