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17-10-2020

A Covid vaccine could be given to some of the most vulnerable people "this side of Christmas", according to the reports. But limited supplies would mean the government would have to decide who should get it, and when. Kate Bingham also said a vaccine will not be "a silver bullet" that would allow life to get back to normal overnight.

And she warned that it was unlikely to protect everyone from infection. Ms Bingham said she was optimistic that a vaccine would be found that would "protect some people from infection and can reduce the severity of symptoms". But she said it was "very unlikely" to be a single jab and that ongoing revaccination would be needed probably every few years. she there would initially be a "limited supply" of any vaccine that was developed, meaning that not everybody would get it.

There would therefore need to be a decision reached by the government and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) about who should be vaccinated and when. The JCVI has already advised that vaccine distribution should be prioritised by need, with care home staff and the elderly population first in the queue. There are currently hundreds of vaccine trials being carried out around the world, including six possible vaccines that are being developed in the UK.