According to the National Audit Office (NAO), less than half of the population of the UK will receive a COVID-19 vaccine in 2021.
The rollout of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine commenced last week, with care home residents, workers as well as the elderly and most vulnerable first in line to be vaccinated. The government has procured more than 250 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from a range of companies at a cost of nearly £3bn.
The news of an effective vaccine rollout has been a welcome sight for many of us, offering a light at the end of the tunnel. However, with the news that half of the population may have to wait until 2022 to be vaccinated, it’s essential we continue with preventative measures we have been using so far in the fight against Coronavirus.
This means that testing is still going to be a significant part in the management of the pandemic, as well as continuing with things like social distancing and face masks. While it is still unclear what restrictions will look like as more people receive the vaccine, we will still need to understand how the virus is spreading, and how the spread has been impacted by the vaccination programme. There are also many people who are reluctant to take the vaccine, meaning there will likely be a significant number of vulnerable people at risk of contracting COVID-19.
Alongside vaccines, rapid COVID-19 testing will play a huge part as we aim to get back to some form of normality, enabling people and businesses to identify positive cases much more easily and quickly, giving peace of mind that the chance of the virus spreading is significantly reduced.
As well as buying in bulk, you can now purchase individual rapid COVID-19 testing kits. If you’d like to find out more, get in touch with the team today.
