Professor Adam Finn, member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization, called for caution as lockdown restrictions continue to decline in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. He suggests that “uncertainty” means it is important “to play it safe and not to walk too close to the edge of the cliff”.
The important date this month is May 17, the third exit sign on Boris Johnson’s roadmap and the point at which indoor rallies can resume in Scotland and Wales.
In England, the third stage will allow the resumption of indoor gatherings under the rule of six – or a larger group of up to two households – and the return of domestic hospitality, such as pubs, restaurants, cinemas, theaters, museums and galleries.
It also marks the return of indoor performances and sporting events with a capacity of 1,000 people, as well as outdoor events with a capacity of up to 4,000.
Large sports stadiums will be allowed to seat up to 10,000 people – or be a quarter full, whichever is lower. Testing measures should be implemented for the events.
Speaking to BBC Newsnight, Professor Finn said the impact of vaccines is increasing “week after week”, but believes that “three major uncertainties” remain.
He highlighted the concern of business owners who will not want to close after their long-awaited reopening.
Discussing the factors, Prof Finn said: “One is the future progress of the immunization program and how it will play out over the next two or three months, as we complete the process of dispensing from dose to dose. adult population.
“The second is the incursion of viral variants that might be able to evade immunity – and I think the biggest uncertainty is how people behave now as the opening continues.
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“I think the beginning is falling [in cases] we saw after the January 10 peak was almost entirely due to the lockdown that was imposed at the start of the year.
“More and more, we are seeing the impact of the vaccine initially on hospitalization and now increasingly on the transmission of the virus. So, we are in a good position because so far the program has gone very well, there have not been any big blockages and, above all, people have turned up in very large numbers to do so. vaccinate, so coverage was excellent. I think the low numbers reflect that.
“If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the past 14 months, it’s that the current situation is not a precise and precise indicator of how things are going to turn out in two or three months,” we should therefore expect some instability. go forward.
“I don’t think it’s all over.
“I don’t want to paint a picture black, but it’s not over yet. There are still a large number of people who have not had this infection and have yet to have the protection that the vaccine will provide – and as long as it does, there will be room for increased transmission.
“We are not currently aiming to immunize part of the infant population – only adults. And there are still a lot of adults who are sensitive.
“Let’s go on, let’s do it carefully and try to get to a point where we don’t keep having these big waves of infections every few months.”
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This notice was published: 2021-05-01 03:55:00
