Over-80s rebel to breach lockdown rules after they get vaccinated

Four in 10 admit they have broken restrictions to meet friends and family indoors since being given the jab

FOUR in 10 people aged over 80 have broken lockdown restrictions to meet people indoors since being vaccinated in the past three weeks, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has found.

Behavioural scientists previously warned compliance with preventive measures was likely to fall once the vaccination programme was in full swing, but this is the first evidence it is actually happening.

According to ONS data, 43 per cent of over-80s reported they had met someone, other than a household member, care worker or member of their support bubble, indoors since the jab.

Around 41 per cent of those vaccinated said they had seen more contacts, even though they would be unlikely to have built up sufficient protective immunity since the vaccine.

National lockdown guidance from Jan 5 prohibits social meetings with family and friends unless they are part of your household or bubble.

The ONS said that while some over80s will have received their coronavirus vaccination before the national lockdown was reintroduced, a large proportion would have had the jab after this date, and therefore would have been breaking lockdown regulations by meeting these groups socially.

No10 yesterday urged people to continue to respect the lockdown.

Asked if the elderly were behaving irresponsibly, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We are asking everybody to continue to follow the rules and guidelines.”

The ONS research also showed that around half of over-80s believed coronavirus was a major threat to them personally before vaccination, but just five per cent were still worried after they had received two jabs.

Around four in 10 experienced side effects from the Covid-19 vaccine, but the ONS found this was unlikely to prevent the majority from having a second dose.

The most common side effect was a painful, heavy feeling and tenderness in the arm where they were injected, reported by one in four people.

Despite the side effects, 96 per cent said that they would encourage other people to have a vaccination.

The study showed that 99.8 per cent of over-80s said they had been offered a vaccination, of which 99 per cent had received at least one dose and 15 per cent received two or more doses.

Tim Gibbs, of the public service analysis team at the ONS, said: “The rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination is, no doubt, a huge relief to many people over 80.

“We can see that almost half of them, when asked, considered Covid-19 to be a major or significant personal risk before receiving the vaccination.

“This decreases to 5 per cent having the same concern after hypothetically receiving both doses of the vaccine.”

The ONS data also showed that of the over-80s who had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, a total of 67 per cent reported that they had met somebody they do not live with, indoors since being vaccinated, although this may have been within their bubble.

Twenty-three per cent of those surveyed said they had met their child or children indoors.

Last month, a report from the Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours (SPI-B), which feeds into Sage, warned that lockdown easing must keep pace with falling data, or else people would stop complying.

It also warned those vaccinated would no longer feel the need to comply with the preventive measures.

“Covid-19 enforcement has previously been more difficult at times of lifting,” the report said.

“Perceptions of the threat posed by Covid-19 may also differ among subsections of the community or neighbourhoods, depending on national rates and targets of vaccination, some of whom may no longer feel that they should be subject to restrictions.

“This will make it more difficult for the police to use persuasion.”

‘The rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine is a huge relief to many people over 80’