Double-jabbed grandmother fears she'll never hug grandchildren again as vaccinated can pass on Covid

A grandmother who is double-vaccinated against Covid-19 fears she will never be able to hug her grandchildren again and she could die from the virus as her medical condition means she is unlikely to have many coronavirus antibodies.

Previously it had been hoped that vaccination of the majority of the population could lead to herd immunity which would offer protection to the unvaccinated and those with weakened immune systems and levels of Covid in society would be relatively low. However, new research suggests the dominance of the Delta variant has destroyed the prospect of this.

While having two doses of a Covid vaccine means someone is less likely to catch the respiratory disease, if they do test positive they still carry similar levels of the virus to those who are unvaccinated.

With the previous Alpha variant, level of virus in the vaccinated were lower.

The research from the University of Oxford - which has not yet been peer-reviewed - suggests Tina Whiteside and others who are vulnerable can't rely on others to protect them.

Over video call - to avoid meeting in person - Tina Whiteside tells ITV News her "horizons have dimmed tremendously"

Before the pandemic, the 78-year-old relished trips to the theatre and exhibitions, as well as meeting friends and family.

She told ITV News that 18 months on, she still has to avoid others. As a result of her chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, consultants have told Ms Whiteside it's very unlikely the vaccine has mounted a sufficiently strong immune response.

"I’m very worried. Obviously I worry about catching Covid and dying and since I’ve had the vaccine, that hasn’t really stopped," she said to ITV News via video call, as she was unable to be interviewed in person.

She added that her life remains "drastically changed".

"I can’t go to the theatre, I can’t go to concerts, I can’t go to exhibitions, I can’t hug my grandchildren," Ms Whiteside said.

"My horizons have dimmed tremendously."

Until Covid levels are much lower, Ms Whiteside will not feel safe.

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The research also suggested that because vaccines do not stop the spread of Covid, the virus is able to evolve and evade the current jabs.

"The fact that you can get coronavirus with high levels of virus in the nose and throat suggests that, as many people have started to say, herd immunity might actually not be possible," Sarah Walker, professor of medical statistics and epidemiology at the University of Oxford, said.