ONE of Bradford's leading doctors Professor John Wright has welcomed the news that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has been approved and will roll out from next week.

Prof Wright, director of Bradford Institute of Health Research, is a doctor and epidemiologist, and while he welcomed the vaccine he urged caution to the public that "things will never be the same as before" and normality is still "months away".

He said the vaccine, which is 95 per cent effective and in the first roll out aims to protect 90 to 99 per cent of people at risk of dying from Covid-19, is "testament to our scientists".

Prof Wright said: "When I heard the news it was a sense of incredible joy.

"It's been such a tragic year, especially in Bradford with so many deaths and people suffering from Covid-19.

"The development of a vaccine that is here in ten months and approved and ready for use next week, it really is testament to our scientists, but also our doctors, nurses and all the volunteers involved.

"We have several effective vaccines, and the first will roll out next week for the most vulnerable people, and gradually through next year we can target those most at risk and save lives.

"In a city like Bradford we have seen so much harm from the virus and from the lockdown with loneliness and economic harm, this is the way to get back to normal life where we can hug each other, go to work and go on holiday; things that have seemed so distant to us this year."

Prof Wright predicted it will not be until the summer that a sense of proper normality returns, but he warned until then we have to remain vigilant and careful to protect the vulnerable and stop unnecessary deaths.

"I think by the summer they will have done most of the high-risk vaccinations," he continued, "and for the latter half of next year things will return to normal.

"It will not be an on/off switch, it will be gradual but in 2021 things will be normal again. We still have to face January and February which will be tough managing what we normally see, plus Covid-19, but normality will return.

"People who see today's news and think things can go back to normal immediately, I would say don't. We are still months away from returning to a degree of normality and it will never be back to the way things were before.

"People will still be careful, washing hands more, wearing masks; there will be a long-term impact. Don't change what you are doing now, Christmas is going to be a difficult period and we expect more cases and sadly more deaths as a consequence, so it's vitally important we maintain social distancing, washing hands, wearing masks, and be really careful."

Prof Wright added he is glad frontline health and social care workers are included in the list of priority vaccination groups.

"Doctors, nurses, NHS staff and carers have been on the frontline throughout the pandemic and many have lost their lives and are suffering the effects of long-Covid.

"You are three times more likely to get Covid in these roles so its very important to protect our frontline workers, both for their health and also to reduce transmission from them to other at-risk patients."