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The public should take the COVID-19 vaccine when offered if they want to see an end to social distancing, said one of the government’s top medical officials.
Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, Deputy Medical Director, said at a Downing Street press conference that although people were “fed up” with the coronavirus measures, the “low acceptance” of blows designed to protect them “will almost certainly make the restraints last longer.”
His comments came after the UK became the first country to approve the use of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine – The launch begins next week after it was approved by the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Professor Van-Tam admitted during the briefing that he got “emotional” when he learned of the independent regulator’s decision on Wednesday morning, however, he also came to his podium equipped with a few jokes to temper expectations that the pandemic could end soon.
He said, “I think there will come a great time when we have a massive party and throw in our masks and hand sanitizer and say, ‘That’s it, he’s behind us,’ like the end of the war? No, no. I do. ” t.
“I think those kinds of habits that we’ve learned … maybe they will persist for many years, and that can be a good thing if they do.”
That quasi-prediction didn’t seem to sit well with the prime minister to his left, who said: “And maybe … on the other hand, we may want to come back to life as close to normal as possible.”
Professor Van-Tam later acknowledged that Boris Johnson “picked me up this time,” saying, “It’s pretty cool because it gives me a chance to clarify what I mean here.
“I don’t think the government will continue to recommend social distancing, masks and hand sanitizer forever and one day. I hope we return to a much more normal world.”
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‘It’s not a yogurt’: Van-Tam on the vaccine
But for the world to get to that point, he said people would have to embrace the coming of COVID-19 vaccinations
“Nobody wants to shut up and see the damage they do,” he said.
“But if you want that dream to come true as quickly as possible, then you should take the vaccine when it is offered. Low absorption will almost certainly make the restrictions last longer.”
His statement was remarkable given that a previously published YouGov poll found that one in five Britons did not trust that the newly approved vaccine was safe.
An instant survey found that 27% said they are very sure that the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine is safe and 43% are fairly certain that it is safe, but 11% are not very sure and 9% are not sure at all .
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Behind the scenes of the Pfizer vaccine
Professor Van-Tam also returned to a long-duration train analogy, saying that it had stopped at the station and was ready to start accepting passengers to take them to their destination, taking the hit.
However, he urged to be more cautious, adding that people should continue to be patient and follow social distancing guidelines until instructed otherwise.
He said, “We have to be realistic about how long this is going to take – it’s going to take months, not weeks. And this shot has to work in a headwind to get back at the head of the game. And that makes it more difficult.”
Professor Van-Tam also said that he believed the virus would be “with humanity forever” and that it may never be eradicated, even though it continues to live as a seasonal illness like the flu, rather than an all-encompassing pandemic.
