The prospect of all adults receiving both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine by August is “very optimistic”, England’s chief medical officer said.
Professor Chris Whitty said that while the vaccine rollout was “extraordinarily fast” – with more than 10 million people in the UK having now received their first dose – there were supply constraints.
Asked about the timescale around every adult being offered a first dose by May and a second by August, he said “logistics aren’t about optimism”.
He told a Downing Street press conference: “I think that May and August strike me as at the very optimistic end.
“I think if you talk to people who are doing this extraordinarily fast roll out… they would say they will go absolutely hell for leather, as people are doing an incredible job.
“But trying to hit those dates, that is probably beyond what is possible given the constraints of supply and all the other things that we have to deal with.”
Prof Whitty said that those who have received their first dose will soon be due for the second jab, which will “inevitably slow things down”.
He said: "But we do have to vaccinate all of them within 12 weeks and that means that from March, we’ll be starting to re-vaccinate as well as the first vaccines, and that will inevitably slow things down."
He emphasised that it can take several weeks for immunity to build post-vaccination, and that there is still uncertainty over how much the vaccines reduce the risk of transmission.
It comes after Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia (UEA), said social distancing may need to continue until spring 2022 even with effective coronavirus vaccines.
