Coronavirus vaccines for 12 year olds 'under review' says Harden
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According to professor Tim Spector, lead scientist on the ZOE COVID Study, vaccine effectiveness for the elderly and healthcare workers – those within the first wave of vaccinations – could drop to below 50 percent by Christmas. Although his forecast is a worst-case scenario, he warned the Government must make plans for vaccine boosters. Without vaccine boosters, high levels of infection combined with highly transmissible variant could lead to a sharp rise in deaths and hospital admissions.
Professor Spector added: “While vaccines are working well against the Delta variant for the first few months and reducing severe disease, looking at over one million vaccinated ZOE loggers, effectiveness appears to be waning, which could explain recent breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated people.
“In my opinion, a reasonable worst-case scenario could see protection below 50 percent for the elderly and healthcare workers by winter.
“If high levels of infection in the UK, driven by loosened social restrictions and a highly transmissible variant, this scenario could mean increased hospitalisations and deaths.
“We urgently need to make plans for vaccine boosters, and based on vaccine resources, decide if a strategy to vaccinate children is sensible if our aim is to reduce deaths and hospital admissions.
“Waning protection is to be expected and is not a reason to not get vaccinated.
“Vaccines still provide high levels of protection for the majority of the population, especially against the Delta variant, so we still need as many people as possible to get fully vaccinated.”
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