‘We find ourselves in a race against time’ – Bristol’s vaccine expert

Against a backdrop of rising Covid-19 cases and an NHS at breaking point, clear information on the vaccination programme has never been more vital.

In a bid to deliver this, Bristol’s own vaccine expert has become a regular face in the national media over the last week to talk about the science behind the mass rollout and why it’s important to prioritise first doses.

Speaking to Bristol24/7, professor Adam Finn, a paediatrician and member of the government’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), provides an insight into what it’s like being at the heart of the fight against Covid-19.

“We find ourselves involved in a race against time because of the very rapid increase in cases that has occurred over the last two to three weeks,” says the Bristol University professor, who also works as a clinician at Bristol Children’s Hospital.

“We are anxiously watching for the impact of the vaccination programme as it comes in and hoping it will be able to both reduce the number of people requiring hospital treatment, and also deaths as a consequence, and also ensure the NHS workforce can be kept well and able to continue care for people – because both of those things are needed to avert the immediate crisis.”

As a leading expert on vaccines, Finn is part of the working group that advises the government on the use of the vaccines and how the programme should be rolled out.

He says an important strategic decision has been to prioritise first doses for more people over boosting the immunity of those who have received a vaccine with a second dose.

“This will have a much swifter impact on the current crisis,” Finn tells Bristol24/7.

“I think people really do need to have that properly explained because that switch in policy has caused a bit of alarm with people fearful their protection is somehow compromised by not getting the vaccine early, whereas we know from the Oxford vaccine and we’re really quite convinced for the Pfizer vaccine that the majority of the protection comes from the first dose.

“We will all benefit from getting more people the first doses.”

He adds that spacing out the doses will “almost certainly” give people greater long term protection.

The mass vaccination programme got underway in December with the Pfizer vaccine and is now rapidly accelerating with the availability of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is expected to be available in much larger numbers of doses and has the added advantages of being easier to store and transport.

Boris Johnson visited Ashton Gate Stadium on Monday when it opened as a ‘super vaccination’ centre – photo: PA

Ashton Gate came into operation this week as one of the UK’s seven ‘super vaccination’ centres and Gloucestershire County Cricket ground is also playing its part, alongside GP surgeries and smaller sites.

Asked whether the mass vaccination programme is progressing fast enough, Finn says the main limiting factor is likely to be the supply of vaccines rather than the capacity to deliver them.

…………………………………..

Read more: Boris Johnson visits Bristol’s ‘super vaccination’ centre

…………………………………..

The key question for many is when we can expect to see a lifting of restrictions and return to normal.

In response, Finn says: “I think we can expect to see some degree of a return to normality quite soon because what’s forcing a complete lockdown at the moment is the pressure on the NHS and we desperately need to avoid a situation where people are dying for lack of oxygen and lack of medical care.”

He continues: “The early phase of the programme over the next few weeks is predicted to impact on that really quite dramatically. We expect to get a high proportion of people at highest risk [vaccinated].

“That won’t completely solve the problem because there is more to this than the very acute pressure on the NHS. The majority will still be susceptible, so this virus will continue to cause waves of infection if we go back to normal behaviour. And that will cause illness and deaths.

“We are not going to be completely out of the woods be the end of phase one by any means. It’s only through much more widespread vaccination of the population that we can get the level of population immunity up to a level where we can coexist with this virus and lead what we would regard as much more normal lives.”

At the current rate, the professor says it is conceivable the prime minister’s target to have everyone in the high-risk category vaccinated by mid-February will be met, but it will still be late summer into early autumn before the majority of the population have had the vaccine.

But he warns it is difficult to make predictions when it is still unknown how long the vaccine will work for and whether or not the virus will change and force scientists to reformulate vaccines.

“I would be very cautious about putting a date on when everything can go back to normal,” concludes Finn.

Asked if he is worried about the number of ‘Covid-deniers’ and others who are anxious about receiving the vaccine, the professor says he sees far more people worried about not getting the vaccine quick enough, with those in high-risk categories having spent the best part of a year fearing for their lives.

“For those who are understandably a bit cautious, they have the chance to wait and perhaps begin to realise this is a good choice and will be happy to receive the vaccine.”

Finn adds: “There will always be those people who have managed to convince themselves vaccines are terribly bad things and they don’t want to have anything to do with vaccines. Essentially those who don’t get immunised will be protected by those of us who do.

“All in all, I’m very optimistic about that. As long as we give people good information and give them the science as it comes through and the evidence on safety and effectiveness, people will vote with their feet.”

As one of the first labs in the country to begin working on a vaccine, Bristol continues to play an important role in the fight against coronavirus.

“We do have a vaccine candidate in development in Bristol. It’s a long way behind the others because it’s a very novel kind of vaccine but I think it may play it’s part in due course,” says Finn, adding that the city recruited more people than anywhere else in the country for the trials of the Oxford vaccine.

And the work continues.

Bristol is the lead centre for the country for the Valneva programme – yet another vaccine being developed – and it was in the city that the first 15 people in the world were given this vaccine in December.

Main photo courtesy of Adam Finn (background by Claire Hayhurst) 

Read more: County Ground to be used for Covid vaccinations