COVID-19 in Lewisham – 27 May update
It’s my turn!
Last Friday, I went along to the Waldron Health Centre to receive my first COVID-19 vaccination dose. After providing information about COVID-19 vaccination for many months, it was a huge relief to finally receive my first dose. I’m extremely grateful to local volunteers, NHS colleagues and everyone else involved in the vaccination roll-out in Lewisham!
Evidence is growing – COVID-19 vaccination works
Over 72% of the adult population in the UK has now received their first COVID-19 vaccination according to Government data. As more and more people are vaccinated, not only are we boosting our protection individually and as a community, but we gather evidence to prove just how effective each vaccine is against COVID-19 and the variants that are emerging. You can view the Government's COVID-19 data on its website.
Public Health England has shared more evidence that the COVID-19 vaccination is proving to be effective against new variants of concern. A recent study showed that having both vaccine doses of either Pfizer or Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines is effective against becoming unwell from the B.1.617.2 COVID-19 variant that first originated in India. As with other variants, there are likely to be even higher rates of effectiveness against hospitalisation and deaths. This is very reassuring as we see new variants of concern emerging in locations across the country and in North West London, so I would like to stress that it’s important you have your second dose when you are eligible to do so. You can read the vaccine efficacy study on the Government's website.
Having a vaccine not only protects your own health, but benefits your whole community. If enough people are vaccinated, it is harder for the virus to spread. There are two ways that vaccines can reduce the spread of COVID-19 – by reducing the number of people who are susceptible to the virus (offering individual protection) and by reducing the amount of virus that a person produces if infected, the ‘viral load’.
Recent evidence has shown that if you have been vaccinated against COVID-19, you’re less likely to pass on the virus. Public Health England reported the results of a large study in April that showed that even after the first dose of either the Pfizer or Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, the chance of transmission reduced by 38-49%. Read the recent COVID-19 vaccine study on the Government's website.
Community outreach
Finally, I’d like to say a huge thank you to all of the Community Champions, volunteers and community leaders who have played such an important part in the roll out of vaccination in individual communities in Lewisham. We’re hosting community health events and walk-in vaccination clinics, and launching ‘priority passes’ for more vulnerable people who are eligible for vaccination but might be struggling to book appointments.