Covid: Top government scientist says 'mum test' should convince doubters about vaccine
Video report by ITV News Health Editor Emily Morgan
A top government scientist has encouraged his elderly mother to take a coronavirus vaccine as soon as one is available, and said he'd be at the "front of the queue" himself if he could be.
Jonathan Van-Tam, the government's deputy chief medical officer, encouraged everyone in priority groups to be ready to be immunised, after news of a successful trial showed a vaccine to be 90% effective.
The vaccine, developed by US firm Pfizer and German company BioNTech, is yet to pass all safety tests but Professor Van-Tam said as soon it does, he would want to take it.
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Asked whether government figures such as himself or Boris Johnson should take a vaccine first to prove to the public it was safe, Professor Van-Tam told a Downing Street briefing he would be "at the front of the queue" if he was allowed.
"If I could, rightly and morally, be at the very front of the queue, then I would do so, because I absolutely trust the judgment of the MHRA on safety and efficacy," he said.
Prime minister Boris Johnson said: "I've got no inhibitions about getting the vaccine, and I totally encourage everyone to get one."
But the scientist said there are other people at higher risk to coronavirus that should take priority over him.
"We have to target the most highest risk individuals in society and that is how it should be in terms of our system," he said.
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"I think the 'mum test' is very important here. My mum is 78, she will be 79 shortly, and I have already said to her, 'mum, make sure when you are called you are ready, be ready to take this up, this is really important for you because of your age'."
Steve Mowle, vice chairman at the Royal College of GPs, told ITV News that one of the issues was how the vaccine would be administered: "With the Pfizer immunisation, it's frozen, it needs to be defrosted and that then needs to be drawn up individually from ampules.
"That takes more time, it's more fiddly. If they're not used pretty soon, they're wasted.
"And I have to say, sometimes when we do a flu clinic, less than 50% of the patients that we've invited actually show up."
ITV News spoke to Dr Natalie Rout about the roll out of vaccines through GP surgeries:
Prof Van-Tam, who recently told a press conference he's hopeful of some vaccine before Christmas, said the UK has access to 40 million doses of the vaccine, if it is proven to be safe.
It is believed that 40 million doses would immunise 20 million people as each person needs two doses.
Despite hopes that some vaccines can be rolled out in December, Prof Van-Tam was unable to say how soon a vaccine could make a significant difference to people's way of life.
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Will enough of the population get vaccinated to get rid of coronavirus?
Asked whether lives would be back to normal by Easter thanks to a vaccine, he said: "At this point, I don't think those questions can be answered. "
He added: "We don't yet know if this vaccine is going to prevent transmission as well as preventing illness, and from that perspective it would be wrong of me to give you a sense that whoever told you that we'd be completely back to normal for Easter is right."
The initial plan for vaccine rollout will see older members of society, care home workers and those most vulnerable to Covid-19 immunised first.
Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation chairman Professor Wei Shen Lim said the plan will protect 99% of those at risk of death from Covid-19.
At the Downing Street data briefing, which will now be held once a week, he said: "If phase one is completed then we will have protected hopefully over 99% of those individuals who are at risk of dying from Covid-19."