This Morning: Holly Willoughby questions expert on vaccines
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For the two-dose vaccines, receiving one dose does provide a person with some protection, though the full extent of the protection or how long it might last is still unknown. Receiving only one dose is not as useful as receiving the full second dose. Given the spread of the virus and the serious health risk it poses, the second dose is strongly recommended said experts.
Professor Carl Heneghan, professor of evidence-based medicine appeared on This Morning and said: “You need to get the second dose of the vaccine because that boosts your immunity.”
Roughly 23 million people have had their second dose but 38 million people have had their first dose.
He continued: “This is a time to go get your second dose. That will lead to much more positive news going forward.”
He added: “We’ve just got to watch over the next year what happens over autumn and winter.
“We might have to have a booster for elderly and at risk in autumn. If we get that right that will be an imprint step forward.”
“We need to help our friends around the world where it’s hard to get these vaccines out there.
“Facilitating the global vaccination programme to get on top of this disease.”
When Holly asked why it is important that the evidence is based on symptomatic disease and asked what exactly that means.
Professor Heneghan answered: “It means that in the community what its actually done lowered the people who have actually have symptoms, the cough and the fever, it will actually reduce this so that is really good news.
“The most important aspect of what you want to do is to really reduce the severe disease, the hospitalisations and the deaths.
“It’s important to remember what is happening right now is that for nine weeks in a row we have seen fewer deaths than expected.
“In the last week we have only had 42 deaths across the whole of the UK where we’ve had a positive PCR test for Covid.
“So, the numbers are really reassuring, and we can be confident in going out and about but we do need to get those people who have had their first dose to come forward and get their second dose of the vaccine.”
The three vaccines currently available in the UK are all designed to work across two doses, said the British Heart Foundation.
The site added: “Having two doses leads to a stronger, better immune response from your body and a longer-lasting protection. It is important that everyone gets two doses.
“For those who are over 50 or clinically vulnerable, the recommendation in the UK is now that you have your vaccine 8 weeks after your first dose. This is due to the rise of the Indian variant of Covid-19 in the UK.
“For those who are under 50, your second dose of the coronavirus vaccine will be offered to you within 12 weeks of your first.
“If you had the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, your second dose will be three to 12 weeks after the first. For the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, your second dose will be four to 12 weeks after your first.”
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