Speaking on BBC Newsnight, UCL Clinical Research Director Prof Christina Pagel said new variants emerging could endanger Britain’s immunisation drive. She suggested keeping infections low would help prevent coronavirus mutations infecting people who have been vaccinated.
Prof Pagel said: “We have to think about what is acceptable this year.
“And to me, it is totally unacceptable to have a winter like we just had.
“And to me, that means we have to just prevent new variants arising to put our entire vaccination programme at risk and potentially set it back to the beginning again.
“So that, to me, is what this year should be about.”
Viewers took to social media to throw their support behind Prof Pagel’s message as they claimed the vaccine was the only solution to the health crisis.
One Twitter user said: “Absolutely right to communicate this fact.
“Too many people, thanks to Govt messaging, believe the vaccine is the one way out.
“This is multi-factoral. We do need to focus on where this virus is hitting most, improve air filtration in public spaces, test more etc.”
