A potential vaccine? What does that mean initially for those who aren't eligible for it?

[3littlewords]

Encouraging news today that a vaccine has been found that's 90% effective. However as initially it will be rolled out to those front line workers, the over 80s and those CEV , what does that mean for everyone else?

Will the virus just left to run through the rest of society as they will most likely not need any NHS support? Will 14 day isolating for close contacts still take place? Will school bubbles still close for 14 days ?

Given children will probably be the last people to be vaccinated (if at all), how will this affect education? Will they still be required to test and isolate every time they show any symptoms? Will there continue to be a disruption to teaching?

When will it be acceptable to reduce the need for SD and masks? When everyone has been vaccinated? When the NHS is no longer overwhelmed? When the number of deaths reduce? When?
What does the news of a vaccine mean for the majority that won't be eligible (initially anyway)?

Where is this news?

@laudemio

Where is this news?

Literally everywhere. Just open up your news outlet of choice.

Really good questions. I hope that life will return to more normality once older generations are vaccinated and nhs less likely to be overwhelmed

@laudemio

Where is this news?

I saw it on sky news app

Well, we don't yet know. It's incredibly encouraging that the vaccine is so effective - it suggests that others will be, and once we have a few and production ramps we should be able to get everyone vaccinated.

It will be a slow process though, I think all of next year will be a slow improvement.

@laudemio

Where is this news?

Everywhere?

I’m not sure anyone can answer any of those questions yet OP. It’s too soon. I’m hoping once the vaccine is rolled out things will start to get back to normal.

@laudemio

Where is this news?

If only there was a way to search the internet for news

The same sort of questions have been asked since day 1, no one knows the answers, why can't people wait for an cliniclly proven effective vaccine and then we'll know how things will work

Since a lot of the people who have been hospitalised have been those over 40 and those who are CV (not just ecv) I would assume that restrictions will remain in place until all those people have been vaccinated.

Once it is healthy adults under 50 and healthy children left I think things will start to open up.

The group's you have listed will be first to be vaccinated. Not the only.

All good questions which the government hasn't addressed yet. I imagine they are waiting to see what the efficacy is. 90% is very encouraging but we don't yet know what it is for the other vaccines they have purchased (e.g. Oxford). It will take a while to get enough vaccine to vaccinate even the groups you have mentioned I imagine (The Pfizer deal is for 30 million doses so enough for 15 million people but delivered by end of 2021 so I'm not sure of exact timings).
I would have thought restrictions will remain in place until at least overs 70s but maybe over 60s are vaccinated. It will probably also depend on vaccine uptake?

Can anyone tell me what CEV stands for? Looked online but I'm fairly certain that in this case it is not referring to the Confederation of European Volleyball.
Brilliant news on vaccine.

It's very promising but will circa 90% give vulnerable enough piece of mind while rates if Covid are still high? A 1 in 10 chance is still Russian roulette.

CEV is clinically extremely vulnerable.

@3littlewords

Encouraging news today that a vaccine has been found that's 90% effective. However as initially it will be rolled out to those front line workers, the over 80s and those CEV , what does that mean for everyone else?

Will the virus just left to run through the rest of society as they will most likely not need any NHS support? Will 14 day isolating for close contacts still take place? Will school bubbles still close for 14 days ?

Given children will probably be the last people to be vaccinated (if at all), how will this affect education? Will they still be required to test and isolate every time they show any symptoms? Will there continue to be a disruption to teaching?

When will it be acceptable to reduce the need for SD and masks? When everyone has been vaccinated? When the NHS is no longer overwhelmed? When the number of deaths reduce? When?
What does the news of a vaccine mean for the majority that won't be eligible (initially anyway)?

I think it will be incremental reductions as the vaccine hopefully reduces transmission along the vulnerable.

I think it is hospitalisation that are driving the restrictions and if the most vulnerable are protected against catching it I don’t think the government will be that arsed about it moving through the low risk population.

However there will still be a lot of vulnerable people not vaccinated eg those 70-80 so I think it will be a weaning off of restrictions.

@annabel85 - I think it’s better than a 1/10 really, as not everyone who gets it has a bad reaction to the virus to start with? Not sur.

The groups you have listed will be the first to be vaccinated. Not the only

I know that @Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady but these things clearly take time. And we don't yet know if this vaccine will open to everyone eventually or not (like the flu) it could take ages to vaccinate the whole country.

Logistics of getting this one out are going to be a nightmare as it needs to be kept at -75 degrees.

@Pellewsmate

Can anyone tell me what CEV stands for? Looked online but I'm fairly certain that in this case it is not referring to the Confederation of European Volleyball. Brilliant news on vaccine.

Extremely Clinically Vulnerable (shielding,as was)

@annabel85

It's very promising but will circa 90% give vulnerable enough piece of mind while rates if Covid are still high? A 1 in 10 chance is still Russian roulette.

Yes awful for those who are CEV. However 90% is a lot better than a lot of people expected I think. The sad truth is I don’t think we can realistically expect a society where covid doesn’t exist or pose a risk, at least not in the near future.

Also once we have a vaccine we can hopefully move towards some kind of herd immunity (legitimately!) whereby even though the virus is endemic, the chances of catching it fall because it will be less prevalent.

I'm very happy to see some positive news re a vaccine today.
I'd like to think once the elderly and the vulnerable are vaccinated things will start going back to normal slowly. Of course everyone else may still catch it and become ill in that time but hopefully most won't need to be hospitalised and the NHS won't be overwhelmed with those that do. Some restrictions may remain in place and eventually fade out. When that will be no one knows but I'm just happy there is a chance things will go back to normal one day.

@laudemio

Here's the press release: www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-announce-vaccine-candidate-against

There will have be social distancing for a good while yet I suppose, until most of the world is vaccinated and maybe it just becomes an annual shot like the flu jab

@annabel85

It's very promising but will circa 90% give vulnerable enough piece of mind while rates if Covid are still high? A 1 in 10 chance is still Russian roulette.

Without sounding harsh, it isn't about giving the vulnerable peace of mind as such its about the NHS being able to treat everyone that comes through their doors whether it be covid or some other illness. Anyone vulnerable whether due to age or other issues has always and will always be susceptible to any viruses that are circulating, we cant give that complete peace of mind for anyone

Surely using the 80/20 rule - vaccinating the 20% most vulnerable will have quite dramatic results for society

@3littlewords I think the plan is to roll out the vaccine to high-risk frontline workers first (ie NHS staff, teachers, other essential public services). I suspect the elderly may receive this fairly soon, although not until specific data from that populations are available. Children are less likely to receive this vaccine very soon, especially not young children and infants (no efficacy data and a relatively low-risk population).