We can't afford to wait for the perfect vaccine | Letter

The UK must use safe vaccines as soon as they become available, not wait for the very best' to come along, writes the deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam

I was concerned about the tone and accuracy of your story which appeared on the front page of the Guardian newspaper (Government admits millions may miss out on most effective vaccine, 12 November).

This headline, which I view as both misleading and sensationalist, occurred due to a lack of understanding. Vaccines against Covid-19 will not all come at once, or in large quantities in all cases. Nor will they be delivered in volumes or over timeframes we can fully predict currently, and their storage characteristics may differ. We will have to use the vaccines that are authorised, in the quantities they become available, according to expert advice. We should use them as soon as we get them. If the choice is between the eligible public accessing a safe vaccine with a lower interim efficacy or having no vaccine at all, we would always choose the former as some protection is absolutely better than no protection.