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The prime minister has welcomed the news that a COVID-19 vaccine has been found to be 90% effective in preventing people from contracting the virus, but says that “we cannot rely on this news as a solution.”
At a press conference in Downing Street, Boris Johnson said these are “very, very early days” and “the biggest mistake we could make right now is to soften our resolve.”
He later added, “There is a long way to go before we get through this.”
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It comes after the pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced that its COVID-19 vaccine, which is being developed with BioNTech, found to be 90% effective to prevent people from getting the virus.
Johnson said the news was a sign that “scientific cavalry” is on the way, but preached cautious optimism.
The prime minister said that coronavirus The vaccine had overcome a “major hurdle”, but there was more to overcome before it could be widely implemented.
Johnson said he had spoken of the “distant bugle of the scientific cavalry approaching the top of the hill” with a breakthrough.
“I can tell you that tonight the bugle call is louder, but there is still a little left, we cannot trust this news as a solution,” he said.
“The biggest mistake we could make now would be to loosen our resolve at a critical moment.”
Responding to journalists’ questions, he reiterated this point, saying: “I remain very optimistic about the prospects for this country next year.
“I just don’t want people to get away with the idea that this development is a home run, a dunk, a shot to the back of the net, yet.
“There is a long way before we get through this.”
Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, England’s deputy chief medical officer, said it was a “very important scientific breakthrough” and was “hopeful” that the first vaccine could be seen at Christmas.
He called the development similar to a soccer team taking the lead on a penalty shootout.
“He hasn’t won the cup yet, but what he does is tell him that the goalkeeper can be beaten,” said Professor Van-Tam.
But echoing the prime minister’s urgency for caution, he said “we still don’t know” when life can return to normal or when restrictions can begin to be lifted.
“Frankly, we are in the middle of the second wave and I don’t see that the vaccine makes any difference to the wave that we are in now,” said Professor Van-Tam.
“I am hopeful that it can prevent future waves, but we have to fight to the end without a vaccine.”
He suggested that a “much better horizon” could be a reality for spring, but emphasized: “We have seen a swallow, but this is not summer.”
Relaxing now would be a “colossal mistake,” said Professor Van-Tam, warning: “Much depends on the extent to which you continue to follow the rules, not just during the current blackout period, but later, when we hope to return to a time of slightly lower restrictions “.
He said it was not known whether the vaccine would prevent transmission of the virus, describing it as a “crucial factor” in how far a vaccine would “lead us toward” a return to a more normal life.
The prime minister told the press conference that the misinformation from anti-vaccine groups “is unfounded.”
On this point, Professor Van-Tam said: “Vaccine misinformation has been around since the first vaccines were made and it is exactly that, misinformation, and I am not proposing to give it more transmission time.”
Analysis: PM has reason to be cautious
By Thomas Moore, Science Correspondent
The prime minister had a tricky balancing act when he gave his reaction to the vaccine.
Any politician would want to promise a better future, the end of the pandemic, the return to normal life.
But he knows the danger of complacency. Would some people leave the confinement, ditch the masks, and meet up with friends if the take-home message was a vaccine in just a few weeks?
He peppered his comments with words like “interim results,” “potentially good news,” and “we can’t let our enthusiasm slip away.”
You are right to be cautious, however bright the prospects are.
So far, the vaccine has only proven effective a few days after the second dose. No one knows how long that protection will last. The trials have not lasted long enough.
Pfizer and BioNTech also have not published evidence that the jab protects the elderly. They are the ones who need a vaccine the most, but their immune systems tend to respond worse.
And while clinical trials show that the vaccine prevents disease, it may not stop the spread of the virus, so we would have to live with some social distancing.
As the deputy chief medical officer said while standing next to the prime minister: “We have seen a swallow, but this is not the summer.”
