Kate Garraway says coronavirus vaccine is 'extraordinary'
Covid vaccination programmes kicked off in the UK last week, as the country became the first in the world to distribute the Pfizer jab. The vaccine, which researchers found was up to 95 percent effective, has since made its way through hundreds of thousands of people. But the process is far from over, as the Government has pursued a policy of painstakingly covering select age bands first.
When will you get the coronavirus vaccine?
Government policy has mandated an approach which starts with the elderly and most vulnerable and moves down.
Health workers are currently focussed on the first of nine stages, as they vaccinate care home residents aged over 80 and their carers.
The remaining eight will cover ages 75 to 50, with an exception for vulnerable children and younger adults.
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In a bid to provide some clarity on the process, one creator on the site Omnicalculator created a tool to place people in a virtual queue.
Omni’s vaccine calculator, created by Steven Wooding, combines answers given by people online to provide a rough idea of how long they have to wait before their vaccination.
The tool asks people their age, whether they work at a care home or in healthcare, or are currently pregnant.
People also need to say whether or not they had to shield earlier this year, or if they have underlying health conditions.
For example, by their calculations, a 67-year-old person with no underlying conditions, not working in the care industry, has roughly 9,926,645 and 12,305,865 in front of them.
And a 16-year-old with a chronic health problem has roughly 12,305,865 to 18,074,125 people ahead of them.
The calculations show most people will have to wait quite some time before they achieve immunity.
Officials figures show NHS personnel have vaccinated just over 100,000 people so far.
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More than half of Brits may have to wait potentially another two years to receive their jab, according to the National Audit Office (NAO).
They announced the Government secured 267 million doses of the vaccine, costing them £2.9 billion in total.
But it added the current plans from NHS England and NHS Improvement intend to vaccinate 25 million people “throughout 2021”.
Depending on how many people they manage to vaccinate this year, it could leave the remaining roughly 35 million people waiting until 2022.
Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said “logistical challenges” would determine how quickly people will receive the jab.
He said: “Developing and securing an effective vaccine is central to reducing the impact of Covid-19 on society and saving lives.
“Government has worked quickly and effectively to secure access to potential vaccines, using the available information to make big decisions in an inherently uncertain environment.
“With one vaccine now approved for use and its rollout started, significant challenges remain. Efficient delivery to the UK population presents complex logistical challenges and requires excellent communication with the public.”
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