England’s lockdown lifting likely to go ahead on June 21, say ministers

Senior UK ministers say they are increasingly confident that the June 21 easing of all lockdown restrictions in England will go ahead as planned after research suggested Covid-19 vaccines were effective against new strains.

Data from Public Health England suggested that two doses of either the BioNTech/Pfizer or Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines offered good protection against symptomatic infection by the B.1.617.2 variant that was first identified in India.

The latest data show a minimal reduction in efficacy against B.1.617.2 for both vaccines compared with the dominant B.1.1.7 variant, first identified in Kent.

60m coronavirus jabs have been delivered in the UK, with 72 per cent of all adults receiving a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and 43 per cent the second. The Department for Health announced that the jabs had saved 13,000 lives and prevented 39,100 hospital admissions in England.

Prime minister Boris Johnson had cautioned that outbreaks of the new variant could threaten plans to end all lockdown restrictions on June 21, and alter a government review into ending social-distancing guidelines.

But following the release of the PHE data, several ministers suggested that lockdown easing could go ahead as planned as long as enough people had received two vaccine doses.

Matt Hancock, health secretary, said: “I’m increasingly confident we’re on track for the road map because this data shows the vaccine after two doses works just as effectively, and we all know that the vaccine is our way out of this.”

PHE data suggest that two doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer jab provide 88 per cent protection against the B.1.617.2 variant found in India, compared with 60 per cent for the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.

Officials cautioned over the weekend that the figure for the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab was likely to be an underestimate, pointing to the later rollout of second doses compared with the BioNTech/Pfizer shot.

Hancock added that it was vital to have a second dose to ensure higher levels of protection. “We can get out of this so long as we all go and get our first jab, and then all go and get our second jab,” he said.

Dr Jenny Harries, England’s deputy chief medical officer, said that the new variant was now dominant in parts of the UK, but the vaccine data was “looking good” for easing restrictions.

Priti Patel, home secretary, said that the data were “positive” but cautioned that no decisions had been taken yet on reopening. “That doesn’t mean that it’s the green light all the way . . . there are stages which we will follow.”

The UK aims to offer first vaccine doses to all British adults by the end of July and all second doses by August or September. Johnson is expected to make a formal decision on whether to allow the June 21 easing to go ahead on June 14. All over-50s should have received two doses before all measures cease.

The other crucial decisions facing Johnson is the social distancing review, which will examine whether masks and the one metre plus rule need to be maintained once all adults have been offered a coronavirus vaccine.

Before the outbreak of the new Covid-19 variant, the review was expected to state that masks will only be required in certain circumstances and the one metre plus rule can be mostly relaxed.

One senior government official said the review could be published by the end of the week. The decision on when and whether to ease the guidelines would come “when we have full data on the new variant”, which the individual said was due in the “coming days”.