health

Risk of catching Covid cut by THIRD if you live with someone who has been vaccinated

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THE risk of catching Covid is cut by a THIRD if you live with someone who has been vaccinated, it was revealed tonight.

Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at Public Health England, said data from vaccinated healthcare workers in Scotland suggests that immunised Brits are far less likely to pass on the virus.

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Dr Mary Ramsay said the risk of catching Covid is cut by a third if you live with someone who has been vaccinated

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Dr Mary Ramsay said the risk of catching Covid is cut by a third if you live with someone who has been vaccinatedCredit: PA

Dr Mary Ramsay tonight unveiled a raft of new data that shows the real-world impact of Britain’s jab rollout.

She told the Downing Street briefing: “Data from Scotland suggests vaccinated healthcare workers have a 30 per cent lower chance of passing infection on to their household contacts. 

“This is the first evidence we have of a reduction in transmission from vaccination.

“This means the more people we vaccinate, the more we reduce the spread of infection”. 

The news comes as a huge boost in the fight against the pandemic, as experts were previously uncertain about whether vaccines would prevent transmission.

It means that, with more Brits inoculated, transmission of the virus will remain low – preventing a further wave of infections and the possible emergence of new strains.


It comes as:


Health Secretary Matt Hancock added about nine in 10 people aged around 70 have coronavirus antibodies thanks to the vaccination programme.

He told the press conference: “Around 90 per cent of people aged around 70 and above at that point (the start of March) had these antibodies and it has continued to expand further in the two weeks or so since then.”

Mr Hancock added: “After a single dose of either vaccine, protection against Covid-19 is around 60 per cent, that’s protection against getting it, protection against hospitalisation is around 80 per cent and protection against death is around 85 per cent.”

Elsewhere, Mr Hancock said there would be a focus on vaccinating the most vulnerable Brits before moving on to the over-40s.

He said the government would do “everything necessary” to ensure supplies continue following tonight’s announcement that jabs for under-40s would be delayed by a month.

Mr Hancock said: “We’re on track to offer a first dose to everyone in priority groups 1-9 by April 15.

“While we deliver on that commitment, we also want to ensure that this offer reaches everyone in groups 1-9.

“At the same time as opening up offers of vaccinations to all those who are 50 or above, we are going to do whatever it takes to reach all those in the most vulnerable groups who haven’t come forward yet before we move onto the next cohort, which is people in their 40s.”

 

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Mr Hancock also hailed a “significant” milestone in the vaccine rollout following the news that 25 million Brits had been jabbed.

New figures out today show the UK jabbed a total of 25,273,226 people between December 8 and March 16 with first doses, while 1,759,445 people have had their second dose.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “This is an extraordinary feat, coming exactly 100 days after Margaret Keenan received the first authorised jab in the whole world.

“It has been a national mission, one of the one of the biggest logistical exercises since the war and I’d like to thank everyone who played their part, including every NHS vaccinator, GPs, pharmacists, volunteers and the armed forces for their crucial role in every corner of the UK.

“We’re ahead of schedule to offer a first dose to all in these groups by the 15 April and I urge everybody eligible to come forward.”

JAB ROW

Meanwhile, Brussels has threatened to seize factories on the continent producing the Oxford Astrazeneca jab – despite several countries pausing their rollout of very same vaccine just days ago.

EU boss Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc could even suspend patents on the lifesaving jab so anyone could produce it – but critics branded the threats “Stalinist.”

Ms von der Leyen said she did not rule out triggering emergency powers to “make sure Europeans are vaccinated as soon as possible” – warning “all options are on the table”.

She said today: “It is hard to explain to our citizens why vaccines produced in the EU are going to other countries that are also producing vaccines, but hardly anything is coming back.

“And the second point that is of importance for us is on whether exports to countries who have higher vaccination rates than us are still in proportion.

“We want to see reciprocity and proportionality in exports, and we are ready to use whatever tools you need to deliver on that.

“In other words, we want to have vaccines. This is about making sure that Europe gets a fair share.”

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Matt Hancock says Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine is safe and urges Britons ‘if you get the call get the jab’



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