Older people should not kiss their grandchildren, even if they have received a second dose of a coronavirus vaccine, an expert claimed today.
Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunization (JCVI), said it may not be safe to break social distance rules even after two doses.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today program, Professor Harnden was asked by a listener if he could kiss his school-age grandchildren, to which the JCVI vice chairman replied, “no.”
“You have to be very careful and remember that even after the second dose of vaccine, it is not necessarily 100 percent effective,” he said.
“Right now we still have to be careful and stick to the rules and I don’t think kissing grandchildren is allowed.”
Professor Harnden added that while the vaccine provides protection against serious diseases, it is still unknown how much protection it provides overall.
“It offers you very good protection against serious illness and hospitalization, but we don’t yet know how much protection it offers against asymptomatic infections,” he said.
Research led by Public Health Scotland found that four weeks after the first dose, hospital admissions were reduced by 94 percent for the AstraZeneca shot.
The Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been shown to have efficacy of 95 percent and 94.5 percent, respectively.
Government advisers said the UK vaccine program should remain age-based, with people over 40 expected to be offered a shot within weeks.
Professor Harnden’s comments come when Sage scientist Susan Michie warned that people may follow lockdown restrictions less strictly after being vaccinated against the coronavirus.
She told BBC Radio 4’s Today program, “The concern is that as the vaccination program rolls out and more people get themselves vaccinated and see other people in their community getting vaccinated, people may drop their guard.”
She said the evidence comes from Lyme disease and the rollout of flu vaccines, with the vaccinees less likely to adhere to preventive behaviors.
In December national surveys, about 29% of people said they would be less strict after vaccination and 11% said they would not follow the rules.