A VACCINES chief has handed Brits another shot in the arm – as he said the worst days of the Covid crisis are “absolutely behind us”.
Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, the chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), says society must soon reopen fully.
And he warned that a fourth jab mustn’t be offered until there’s more evidence as it’s “not sustainable” to hand out boosters every six months.
His cheering interview comes amid a slew of good-news headlines about super-infectious new strain Omicron.
A string of hugely positive studies show the variant is milder than other strains, with the first official UK report revealing the risk of hospitalisation is 50 to 70 per cent lower than with Delta.
Covid booster jabs protect against Omicron and offer the best chance to get through the pandemic, officials have repeatedly said.
Trending In The News’s Jabs Army campaign is helping get the vital extra vaccines in Brits’ arms to ward off the need for any new restrictions.
Meanwhile, hospital admissions are finally dropping in London for the first time since the mutation emerged.
And a top expert says she believes life could be back to normal in just 60 days as cases peak.
It comes as:
- Boris Johnson has vowed that schoolchildren won’t have to wear face masks ‘a day longer than is necessary’
- A doctor has warned Brits should isolate if they have a cold – in advice that could cripple the economy and the NHS
- Some hospitals have declared critical incidents after the Omicron mutation led to staff off sick
- The world’s strictest lockdown in – where else – China isn’t working, with cases rising regardless of the restrictions
- Lateral flow tests are selling for £100 on eBay as ruthless scalpers capitalise on the national shortage
However, there are still plenty of challenges to face in the coming weeks.
Mums and dads will doubtless be concerned that their kids will be forced to return to home schooling as teachers self-isolate.
Frontline workers also been badly hit, with 50 per cent of all staff in some care homes and police forces forced off work.
In addition, another 157,758 new cases were reported on Monday – a whopping rise of 44.6 per cent in just a week.
Sir Andrew told the Telegraph: “The worst is absolutely behind us. We just need to get through the winter.”
He said there should never be another lockdown, telling the publication: “At some point, society has to open up.
“When we do open, there will be a period with a bump in infections, which is why winter is probably not the best time.
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“But that’s a decision for the policy makers, not the scientists.
“Our approach has to switch, to rely on the vaccines and the boosters. The greatest risk is still the unvaccinated.”
And he cautioned against endless booster roll-outs.
“We can’t vaccinate the planet every four to six months,” he said.
“It’s not sustainable or affordable. In the future, we need to target the vulnerable.”
Sir Andrew also blasted Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel for their abysmal jabs roll-out last year.
The AstraZeneca jab was suspended in some countries because of concerns raised in France and Germany over its protection in the over-65s, as well as the risk of blood clots.
Sir Andrew said: “Misinformation risks people’s lives. It’s highly likely that people became seriously ill and died because of vaccine misinformation.
“Some of this misinformation came intentionally from individuals against vaccinations, and others came from the unintentional effects of comments from politicians.
“Let’s just say that comments made in mainland Europe affected people in Africa.”
