"I think we're in a much better place than many people are telling us"

Leading epidemiologist Professor Tim Spector has said that people who have been vaccinated should be able to visit each other, stating that there is "no real science" stopping it. The professor, who leads the Covid Symptom Tracker app study run by Kings College London, has suggested that consideration should now be given to people's mental health and the elderly. Spector told the PA news agency: "I think we're actually in a much better place than many people are telling us, and I, for one, I'm not worried too much about what's happening abroad. "I think we need to start talking about when people who have been vaccinated can start seeing other vaccinated people. "And there's no real science now stopping, for example, me seeing my vaccinated mother in a care home or, you know, wherever they live." Spector went on to say that we are "being led by politics," not science and, although he can see the political arguments behind the roadmap, the mental state and needs of the elderly "ought to be equally considered." Whilst a single dose of the vaccine does not provide full immunity and safety from Covid, Professor Spector said that after one dose most people would be safe to to see people who themselves are free of Covid and vaccinated, and that only in a "really rare occurrence" would people get mild disease. He did also cast doubt on the significance of stopping people travelling. There has been a lot of talk in recent days about when foreign travel will be allowed, with a third wave of infections appearing to sweep across Europe. However Spector argues the debates around foreign travel are "a bit of a smokescreen." He went on to say: "Anyone travelling from an area of low Covid to an area of high Covid is obviously putting themselves more at risk of getting infected, so that's a consideration even within this country. "But if you've been vaccinated, and many of the elderly people have, there's no scientific rationale to stop them from travelling." Almost 29 million people have received at least one dose of vaccine in the UK, with on average 463,439 first doses given per day over the past week.