How can the Covid-19 vaccination be safe if it’s ready in months?

These vaccines have been through phase one, phase two and phase three, just like ordinary vaccines. With the Pfizer vaccine, I think the total clinical trial size is something like 45,000; the AstraZeneca results so far reported are based on just over 24,000 volunteers – there’s at least another 10,000 to follow, and the number size for Moderna is very similar. These are very, very big studies.

The numbers involved were essentially the same as you’d expect for a normal peacetime vaccine, and on top of that the safety assessments and the assessments of effectiveness at the end are the same.

The public can be completely confident that Covid-19 vaccines will only be available once they have met robust standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.

As Covid-19 is a public health emergency, scientific evaluation and approval is being done in the shortest time possible while complying with established and robust safety, quality and effectiveness standards. Extensive knowledge on vaccine development with existing vaccines is applied. Safety is our watchword. Everyone can be absolutely clear that the standards that need to be met, will be met.

I am completely confident that there has been no pressure whatsoever on the agency and our expert staff to pass the vaccine. None at all.

Qwho was dying from infection. The primary thing the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) looked at was death rates by age, by clinical factors, and by any other factors that GPs could measure, such as deprivation, geography or ethnicity. It’s very clear the death rate is much higher as you get older, particularly over 75. That’s why we’re prioritising people in older age groups, then coming down in age, picking up people who are clinically vulnerable and those who have underlying conditions along the way. Those working in health and social care will be high on the list as well – they are at risk because they’re getting exposed to infection every day and they may be spreading it to others. The same goes for care home workers – they’re a very high priority.