The headline in the i newspaper announces "Vaccine arrives in the UK", or as the Sun puts it: "The needle has landed". The Daily Express reports that industrially-frozen shipments of the jab turned up on the back of unmarked lorries, which rolled off Eurotunnel freight carriages in convoy. The Times says health officials have dismissed global criticism of Britain's rapid approval of a vaccine as sour grapes. According to the paper, they say regulators in other countries who have been beaten to the decision will ultimately make the same judgement.
The Guardian's main story is that NHS frontline staff will no longer be prioritised for the vaccine after a drastic rethink about who should come first. It says NHS bosses have warned that the UK's first consignment of 800,000 doses may be "the only batch we receive for some time" - raising questions about how soon further supplies will arrive and how long frontline personnel and vulnerable groups will have to wait. Care home staff, and in-patients and out-patients aged over 80, will take priority, the paper adds.
Finally - with the vaccine expected to be rolled out within days, the Telegraph says ministers are at odds with scientists over whether Father Christmas will need the jab before delivering presents. It reports that the deputy chief medical officer for England, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, said yesterday that Santa Claus would be "at the top of our list" to be vaccinated. But hours later - the paper goes on - Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg, insisted he would not need the jab, telling MPs that Santa had been allocated a special travel corridor, while his elves would count as "key workers".
Gormless Gavin Williamson gobbled the bait as his Downing Street handlers screamed nooo! HENRY DEEDES witnesses the Education Secretary causing diplomatic carnage
HENRY DEEDES: Naturally, their cries went ignored. Williamson gobbled the bait like it was a juicy wriggler on the end of a hook.'I just reckon,' he said in that weedy voice, 'we have got the very best people in this country.' Oh crumbs.Williamson was smiling. Like Prince Andrew during that God-awful Newsnight interview, he seemed unaware of what a berk he was sounding.After that performance, it's possible Gav's ministerial car was confiscated for the day.
Fabulous news today that the vaccine is likely to be available in the UK as soon as next week.
It'll take a while to get everyone sorted, but at least we have a start & some hope.
Would I have the jab? You bet, in a heartbeat. I know there are many anti vaccine conspiracy theorists, (almost none of them medically trained), "Bill Gates wants to poison me" lol, but if they don't want it, fine, the rest of us will get ours sooner.
Such great news.
The latest is that the 10 million injections promised before the end of this year, may now be as little as 800,000. Sage are now saying that the Pfizer vaccine may offer only 90 days protection.
Indian travel agents swamped with calls from people asking how to get to UK for vaccine
The news of the UK approving the coronavirus vaccine produced by Pfizer-BioNTech for public use has led to a wave of excitement in India as well, with some keen to visit Britain to get their jabs.
Riding on the growing buzz around the vaccine, travel agencies in India are exploring the potentially lucrative “vaccine vacation” to give a boost to the country’s pandemic-hit tourism industry.
Nishant Pitti, co-founder of leading Indian online travel agency EaseMyTrip.com, told The Independent that searches for flights to London have risen sharply with people enquiring about the Pfizer vaccine.
Mr Pitti said they working to launch a 7-8 days package for the UK worth Rs125,000 (£1,259) after they get the necessary approvals from the authorities in London. The cost is all-inclusive of air fair, stay, cab rides and of course vaccine.
Britain's mass vaccination drive will start on TUESDAY: Race to beat Covid will begin on Dec 8 with UK to get 'MILLIONS' of doses of Pfizer jab before New Year amid fears first batch of 800,000 'could be all we get for some time'
Hopes that an end to the pandemic was in sight were bolstered last night after the first batches of the prized jab arrived in the UK, following No10's 'top secret' operation to get the vaccine in Britain.
Coronavirus vaccine may give people immunity for 90 days, scientists estimate
The coronavirus vaccine may give people immunity from the disease for 90 days, the government's scientific advisers have said.
A paper published by the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group said the duration of "natural or vaccine induced immunity is not yet fully understood".
However, they added that immunity after getting a Covid-19 jab may last 90 days.
Scientists wrote: "Based on the variability in the data and differential responses in the population we conservatively estimate that a protective immune response after SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination may last for 90 days."
Their estimate is based on the fact that other coronaviruses tend to reinfect after one to two years.
Reinfections with seasonal coronaviruses occur frequently at 12 months and sometimes as early as six months - but not within three months - scientists said.
They explained: "Based on this information, we conclude that: Within one month of natural infection, a high proportion of people will develop immunity which is protective against disease caused by reinfection (high confidence).
People are so unlikely to get Covid-19 a second time that they could be given 'immunity certificates' after a vaccine or confirmed illness, SAGE says
SAGE sub-group NERVTAG said that most people who have been infected or vaccinated have antibodies that could prevent a second infection, and the UK could
The delivery to hospitals of the new Covid-19 vaccine is also widely covered.
It was the "day hope arrived" according to the Daily Mirror's headline. The paper has pictures of what it calls "unremarkable-looking boxes" containing the vaccine being stored by a hospital technician.
The Times says the jab will be available for care homes in what it calls a "Christmas boost". It says medical regulators have approved a method of splitting up the shipments of 975 doses into smaller batches.
Comments
The Guardian's main story is that NHS frontline staff will no longer be prioritised for the vaccine after a drastic rethink about who should come first. It says NHS bosses have warned that the UK's first consignment of 800,000 doses may be "the only batch we receive for some time" - raising questions about how soon further supplies will arrive and how long frontline personnel and vulnerable groups will have to wait. Care home staff, and in-patients and out-patients aged over 80, will take priority, the paper adds.
Finally - with the vaccine expected to be rolled out within days, the Telegraph says ministers are at odds with scientists over whether Father Christmas will need the jab before delivering presents. It reports that the deputy chief medical officer for England, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, said yesterday that Santa Claus would be "at the top of our list" to be vaccinated. But hours later - the paper goes on - Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg, insisted he would not need the jab, telling MPs that Santa had been allocated a special travel corridor, while his elves would count as "key workers".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-55181829
HENRY DEEDES: Naturally, their cries went ignored. Williamson gobbled the bait like it was a juicy wriggler on the end of a hook.'I just reckon,' he said in that weedy voice, 'we have got the very best people in this country.' Oh crumbs.Williamson was smiling. Like Prince Andrew during that God-awful Newsnight interview, he seemed unaware of what a berk he was sounding.After that performance, it's possible Gav's ministerial car was confiscated for the day.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-9016103/HENRY-DEEDES-witnesses-Education-Secretary-causing-diplomatic-carnage.html
Sage are now saying that the Pfizer vaccine may offer only 90 days protection.
That's not so great, but anything is better than nothing right now - time is running out for some of us.
Stay at Home hug a radiator, you in the fast lane behind me ...... start Moon Walking.
The news of the UK approving the coronavirus vaccine produced by Pfizer-BioNTech for public use has led to a wave of excitement in India as well, with some keen to visit Britain to get their jabs.
Riding on the growing buzz around the vaccine, travel agencies in India are exploring the potentially lucrative “vaccine vacation” to give a boost to the country’s pandemic-hit tourism industry.
Nishant Pitti, co-founder of leading Indian online travel agency EaseMyTrip.com, told The Independent that searches for flights to London have risen sharply with people enquiring about the Pfizer vaccine.
Mr Pitti said they working to launch a 7-8 days package for the UK worth Rs125,000 (£1,259) after they get the necessary approvals from the authorities in London. The cost is all-inclusive of air fair, stay, cab rides and of course vaccine.
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/indian-travel-agents-swamped-calls-135117899.html
Hopes that an end to the pandemic was in sight were bolstered last night after the first batches of the prized jab arrived in the UK, following No10's 'top secret' operation to get the vaccine in Britain.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9017607/NHS-workers-bumped-vaccine-priority-list-Pfizers-HALVES-deliveries.html
The coronavirus vaccine may give people immunity from the disease for 90 days, the government's scientific advisers have said.
A paper published by the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group said the duration of "natural or vaccine induced immunity is not yet fully understood".
However, they added that immunity after getting a Covid-19 jab may last 90 days.
Scientists wrote: "Based on the variability in the data and differential responses in the population we conservatively estimate that a protective immune response after SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination may last for 90 days."
Their estimate is based on the fact that other coronaviruses tend to reinfect after one to two years.
Reinfections with seasonal coronaviruses occur frequently at 12 months and sometimes as early as six months - but not within three months - scientists said.
They explained: "Based on this information, we conclude that: Within one month of natural infection, a high proportion of people will develop immunity which is protective against disease caused by reinfection (high confidence).
https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/evewoman/health/article/2001396339/coronavirus-vaccine-may-give-people-immunity-for-90-days-scientists-estimate
SAGE sub-group NERVTAG said that most people who have been infected or vaccinated have antibodies that could prevent a second infection, and the UK could
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9019009/People-immunity-certificates-coronavirus-vaccine-SAGE-says.html
It was the "day hope arrived" according to the Daily Mirror's headline. The paper has pictures of what it calls "unremarkable-looking boxes" containing the vaccine being stored by a hospital technician.
The Times says the jab will be available for care homes in what it calls a "Christmas boost". It says medical regulators have approved a method of splitting up the shipments of 975 doses into smaller batches.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-55210652