What you need to know if you have had coronavirus vaccine

Vaccine minister, Nadhim Zahawi, said the vaccination programme was still on track to deliver the first dose to 15 million of the most vulnerable people by mid-February and to offer all adults their first dose by autumn.

It comes after the Government said it was in “close contact” with suppliers after the European Commission issued the warning amid a row with AstraZeneca over a shortfall of doses for member states.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said the UK will work with the European Union to ensure there is no disruption to the supply of coronavirus vaccines.

With more than 6.4 million people receiving at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, here are the rules for people who have been vaccinated.

Can you still spread coronavirus even if you have had the vaccination? 

People queue outside Bridport Medical Centre to receive their first coronavirus jab.

Coronavirus vaccines may not fully prevent people from passing the virus on to others, the deputy chief medical officer for England said.

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said that if those who have been vaccinated begin easing off because they are protected, they are potentially putting at risk those further down the priority list who still need inoculation.

Professor Van-Tam, writing in the Telegraph, said it was still not known if people who had been vaccinated could still pass on the virus to others, even though they were protected from falling ill themselves.

“So even after you have had both doses of the vaccine you may still give Covid to someone else and the chains of transmission will then continue,” he wrote.

“If you change your behaviour you could still be spreading the virus, keeping the number of cases high and putting others at risk who also need their vaccine but are further down the queue.

“Regardless of whether someone has had their vaccination or not, it is vital that everyone follows the national restrictions and public health advice, as protection takes up to three weeks to kick in and we don’t yet know the impact of vaccines on transmission.

“The vaccine has brought considerable hope and we are in the final furlong of the pandemic but for now, vaccinated or not, we still have to follow the guidance for a bit longer.”

The Government feels mass vaccination will reduce the risk of transmission of Covid-19. 

A spokesman said: "The vaccine cannot give you COVID-19 infection, and a full course will reduce your chance of becoming seriously ill.

"We do not yet know whether it will stop you from catching and passing on the virus, but we do expect it to reduce this risk."

Do I still have to follow lockdown rules even if I have had vaccine?

Picture: PA

Anyone who has either one dose or two doses of the coronavirus vaccine must still obey lockdown measures. 

This also includes practicing social distancing, wearing face coverings and throughly washing their hands. 

As per what Professor Van-Tam said above, there is a risk of potentially transmitting coronavirus to another person despite having both doses of the vaccine.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock urged vaccinated people on Thursday, January 21, to adhere to lockdown rules and social distancing measures to not only protect themselves but also others.  

He said: “After you’ve been vaccinated, you can still catch coronavirus for several weeks and it’s really important that people know this.

“When people are vaccinated, they are told essentially the time that it takes and the limit of the effectiveness, especially in that early period, and told very clearly that you have to still follow the rules.

“That’s an important part of this, especially until we can measure the effectiveness of the vaccination programme on transmission.

"In fact, only yesterday I reviewed the communications that go to people when they’ve been vaccinated and they are very clear and robust.

“It’s important that everybody post-vaccination continues to follow those rules, both to bring the number of cases down because of the impact on transmission and also to protect themselves.

“The vaccine is the way out but it doesn’t work immediately and people still need to be cautious.”

Therefore, a group of people who have all been vaccinated, namely two doses, cannot meet together and come in close contact as they may invertedly spread coronavirus within their households and elsewhere.

Can you visit fully vaccinated people indoors when lockdown measures are lifted?

Providing indoor household mixing is permitted, yes. 

But many medical figures warn that precautions must be taken. A small number of vulnerable people may could still develop symptoms of coronavirus despite having the vaccine. 

There will still be a risk of transmission until enough people are vaccinated. 

Can a vaccinated person hug or touch someone else outside their household? For example a grandmother hugging a grandchild? 

Unfortunately, not yet. 

Even if you have both doses, which gives a person protection against coronavirus, lockdown measures and social distancing rules must be obeyed. 

There is currently still the risk of transmission of coronavirus between people and only mass vaccination of the population would help reduce the risk of transmission. 

Does having one dose of coronavirus vaccine help if I catch Covid-19?

Picture: PA

The Covid-19 vaccine has been shown to reduce the chance of you seriously suffering from coronavirus. 

The Government's current aim is to provide a first dose to as many people as possible, so more people would have at least some protection from Covid-19 rather than fewer people having stronger protection.

There has been much discussion and criticism following the Government’s recent decision to extend the gap between the first and second doses of the vaccine to 12 weeks.

Studies show there are varying levels of resistance to coronavirus after receiving the first dose, but this depends on which vaccine people receive. The BBC has shared an informative piece explaining this through this link.

Public Health England says that the first dose does offer protection against the virus, which is further strengthened by the second dose.

Some people have claimed one jab can cause a faster recovery time from contracting coronavirus. 

Weymouth resident, Tina Cockett, stated her father caught coronavirus after he received his first dosage and noted that he recovered quicker from the virus than other infected members of their household.

She said: “I want people to have the coronavirus vaccine as it would have taken my father if he hadn’t had his first jab.

"He had his first jab before Christmas and he recovered quicker than anyone else who caught it." 

Will vaccinated people receive ‘vaccine passports’?

West Dorset residents waiting after receiving their first Covid-19 jab

People who have been vaccinated currently receive a record card and their immunisation goes on their medical record.

There have been talks about a ‘vaccine passport’ which could theoretically allow people to prove they have received the vaccine and permit them to do certain activities.

Global Tourism Crisis Committee believes such passports must become essential travel documents in order to restart international tourism and the airline industry.

The head of the UK’s data privacy watchdog has told MPs on Tuesday, January 26 she can see the benefit of Covid-19 immunity passports, but warned they came with privacy concerns.

Information Commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, was asked by MPs on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) sub-committee on Online Harms and Disinformation about the possible use of special passports to allow those who had been vaccinated to move more freely.

She said any such scheme would face substantial questions over its necessity and concerns over the sharing of health data, but warned of creating a “two-tier system” where people who have received a vaccine have more freedoms than those who have not.