A top doctor has warned coronavirus is “here for the long term” despite the vaccine roll-out programme.
Professor Frank Joseph said even with the jab, testing will be needed even for summer holidays and gatherings until more is known about whether the vaccine stops people from transmitting the virus.
He added the jab will stop people from being sick but we “can’t take anything as a given with this virus.”
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According to the latest government data, 17,723,840 people have received the first dose of the vaccine and 624,325 have now had both doses.
Professor Joseph said: "Testing is now a way of life.
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"Even with the vaccine, which only stops people from getting sick, we will need negative tests before travelling overseas for holidays or work and for gatherings. Many people are taking tests with us before visiting extended family bubbles too.
"Testing helps to stop the spread of the disease.
"Until we know whether the vaccine stops us from transmitting the virus, we will still need to be tested on a regular basis. Previous vaccines for other things have shown a decrease in transmissibility, but we can't take anything as a given with this virus, so we need to continue to work towards protecting people and this includes testing."
Professor Frank Joseph, director of DAM Health UK, launched his first Covid-19 testing clinics in Liverpool and Manchester in December.
This week, he will open a new clinic in Leeds before expanding further across Bradford and West Yorkshire.
He added: “Our expansion to Leeds will help meet demand from people requiring private Covid-19 PCR testing.
"We're proud to play our part in this effort and open our new clinic in the Leeds City Region. People are already making booking enquiries with us ahead of the summer holidays when travel rules could be relaxed."
