COVID-19: 'Real-world' analysis of vaccine in Israel raises questions about UK strategy

If 80% immunity is provided by the first dose it benefits most people to delay the second dose until all the vulnerable have had at least one dose. 3 months should see that done, so that is the action that gives most benefit.

rosie1959

PippaZ as well as balancing the health of the nation the PM and government also have to balance the economy. The longer we have restrictions more companies are in danger of going bust. The hospitality industry much be under such a strain.

I don't believe I am jumping to conclusions growstuff, in fact I am trying to be very careful not too as I dislike that kind of reporting.

As for the issues with "balancing the economy" rosie1959 it is my opinion - yours may differ - that we would have been in a much better position if we had followed the science, and gone harder, earlier and broader each time the decision arose. We might well have had longer periods of trade between times but only an inquiry will tell us that. I find I prefer listening to scientists rather than the often pseudo economics of the right.

I believe the decision the government has made about vaccination is currently the right one on the knowledge we had. We can only judge whether that remains the case by looking at the increasing data as we go forward.

I really don't think that suggesting we are going to have to be very careful ourselves, that the government may have to use measures we would rather they didn't and that this part of our recovery may take longer than we might have hoped is "making a fuss" - a rather less than scientific judgement in itself.

David0205

If 80% immunity is provided by the first dose it benefits most people to delay the second dose until all the vulnerable have had at least one dose. 3 months should see that done, so that is the action that gives most benefit.

That is only the figures from the initial work. The large, population wide study going on in Israel is not showing such high levels currently. It may but it also may not and the new data has been commented on by the Sir Patrick Valance (Chief Scientific Advisor) who simply said that nothing is certain yet.

I really see no harm in taking note of the new figures coming out or of comments by an eminent scientist in charge of informing the government and we all should be aware we still need to be very careful.

Exactly Pippa - I heard 30% on the radio last night - expect but can't be sure that it was on the world service. Someone on the programme had contacted the manufacturer and they said they only had the results they'd shared.
The person being interviewed said things are often different in real life and that the trials had a higher proportion of younger people with better immune systems.

We probably ought to be publicising this 30% thing so people go on behaving better!