A third of UK population might not be protected from third wave

摘要

LAST week, UK prime minister Boris Johnson warned that there is no doubt that the third wave of covid-19 infections happening in mainland Europe will "wash up" on the UK's shores. In fact, scientists and doctors, including England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty, have been warning for weeks that a new surge of infections would happen this year, as lockdown restrictions are eased. Now we have some early figures on vaccine take-up and effectiveness, what can we predict about the UK's third wave? Although some people might have expected that the roll-out of coronavirus vaccines would put an end to infection surges, the new wave is inevitable because there will still be three groups of people who can get sick, even when everyone eligible has been offered a vaccine. These are: under-i8s, who aren't currently eligible for immunisation in most countries; those who refuse the vaccine; and the people it fails to protect.