Elderly who flout rules after both jabs could ‘more than offset’ the benefits

BRITONS who stop following lockdown rules after receiving their jabs risk sabotaging the vaccination programme, experts have warned.

A subgroup of the Sage advisory panel said analysis suggests many will stop adhering to social distancing rules after they are inoculated. Papers from the Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours (SPI-B), published last night, said the potential dangers were severe enough to ‘more than offset’ the benefits of mass vaccination.

Protection from Covid only kicks in about two weeks after the first vaccine dose is received. It remains unclear whether the jabs stop infection, or merely stops recipients from getting ill – which means those who have been vaccinated could pass the virus on without even knowing they have it.

This danger would diminish once more Britons have been inoculated – but experts stressed the importance of following the rules in the vaccination programme’s early weeks.

‘Modelling suggests that, depending on effectiveness of the vaccine, reduced adherence could more than offset the benefits of vaccination by increasing infection rates, particularly in the early months, before there is a high degree of coverage,’ the SPI-B warned. ‘ One of the unintended consequences of vaccination is the risk of reducing population adherence to other protective behaviours such as hand-cleansing, maskwearing, maintaining physical distance, limiting interaction with large groups and adhering to quarantine,’ the papers said.

‘Adherence might decline if people feel less of a need for protection, or the rules and guidance seem less salient to them as attention focuses more on the vaccine.’

The group called for officials to ‘ ensure that people realise that vaccination, however effective, leaves some risk’.