UK Covid news LIVE: Herd immunity ‘not a possibility’ with Delta variant, says director of Oxford Vaccine group

he director of the Oxford Vaccine Group has said that herd immunity is “not a possibility” with the current Delta variant.

Professor Sir Andrew Pollard referred to the idea as “mythical” and warned that a vaccine programme should not be built around the idea of achieving it.

Speaking to the All-Party Group on Coronavirus, he said that it was clear the Delta variant will still infect people who have been vaccinated.

“I think we are in a situation here with this current variant where herd immunity is not a possibility because it still infects vaccinated individuals.”

Prof Pollard also predicted “a variant which is perhaps even better at transmitting in vaccinated populations” and said this is even more of a reason “not to be making a vaccine programme around herd immunity.”

His comments come as the European Union has said it will not change its safe travel list this week, an EU official told Reuters on Monday, allowing non-essential travel from the United States to continue for the time being.

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