Brits’ lives could start getting back to normal “some time after Easter”, Matt Hancock claimed today.
The Health Secretary said hopes were rising that Covid rules could be relaxed in Spring 2021 as enough of the population get vaccinated.
Three vaccines – Pfizer, Moderna and Oxford/AstraZeneca – have now had promising early results, though none are approved yet.
The UK has ordered 40million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, and could begin giving it next month if it passes regulator approval in time.
The government has also ordered 100million doses of the Oxford vaccine, whose early results were announced today.
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Mr Hancock said the latest vaccine breakthrough was “really encouraging news” and he was “really pleased”.
He said the MHRA regulator would still need to pass the Oxford vaccine through safety tests before it could be used, but told Sky News: “We’ve got 100million doses on order and should all that go well the bulk of the rollout will be in the new year”.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he added: “It is subject to that regulatory approval and I really stress that because the medicines regulator, it’s called the MHRA, is independent, they’re rigorous, they’re one of the best regulators in the world.
“They will be very, very careful to ensure that they look at all the data to make sure that this is safe.
“Subject to that approval, we hope to be able to start vaccinating next month.
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“The bulk of the vaccine rollout programme will be in January, February, March.
“And we hope that sometime after Easter things will be able to start to get back to normal.”
Easter is on April 4 in 2021. But pressed on the timescale, Mr Hancock admitted he didn’t know how long after Easter “normality” may be.
“Some time after Easter is the best way of thinking about it”, he added.
And he stressed the “bulk” of the population will need to be immunised before Covid rules can be eased significantly.
England is expected to return to a tougher three-tier local lockdown system after December 2, with many pubs and restaurants forced to stay shut.
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It comes after new data showed coronavirus vaccine developed in the UK can prevent up to 90% of people from getting Covid-19, according to new data.
AstraZeneca and Oxford University announced that their jab is effective in preventing many people getting ill and has been shown to work in different age groups, including the elderly.
One of the dosing patterns used by the scientists suggested 90% effectiveness if one half dose is given followed by a further full dose.
Another dosing pattern showed 62% efficacy when one full dose is given followed by another full dose.
The combined analysis from both dosing regimes resulted in an average efficacy of 70.4%.
The UK has placed orders for 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine – enough to vaccinate most of the population – with rollout expected in the coming weeks if the jab is approved.
It also has orders for 40 million doses of a jab from Pfizer and BioNTech, which has been shown to be 95% effective.
Another jab from Moderna, of which the UK has five million doses on order, is 95% effective, according to trial data.
The results from the Oxford and AstraZeneca trial showed that the arm where one half dose was given followed by a full dose at least one month apart involved 2,741 people. This was the 90% finding.
The other dosing regime involving 8,895 people showed 62% efficacy when given as two full doses at least one month apart.
Peter Horby, professor of emerging infectious diseases and global health at the University of Oxford, tweeted: “Oxford jab is far cheaper, and is easier to store and get to every corner of the world than the other two.”
