Close To Immunity

 » Experts hail rollout as 60,000 deaths prevented  » Hopes rise we may be over worst of pandemic

- Martin Bagot

EXPERTS hailed the success of Britain’s vaccine programme amid claims the nation could be nearing a form of herd immunity.

Public Health England modelling shows 60,000 Covid-19 deaths and 22 million infections have now been prevented by jab protection.

And the total number of cases staved off by vaccination has doubled in just the past fortnight.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Van-Tam said of the data: “That’s truly massive. The benefit of vaccines is in that kind of secret work that you never see because if people don’t go into hospital and they don’t die, you never see that. That’s really where the big wins have been.”

Hopes have been raised the UK may be through the worst of the pandemic after Office for National Statistics figures showed 73% of people now carry protective antibodies.

Experts say antibodies do not prove immunity and insist it is vital we jab the last several million Brits, or many will end up in hospital.