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Coronavirus vaccine: Might it have side-effects? Coronavirus: Can my granddaughters still visit? And other local lockdown questions
(10 days later)
There was promising news in the search for an effective vaccine against coronavirus this week when a team at Oxford University announced its first results. It is one of around two dozen vaccines being tested on people in clinical trials - and there are around 140 others in development around the world. Different households will be banned from meeting in parts of northern England after a spike in Covid-19 cases. The new rules affect people in Greater Manchester, east Lancashire and parts of West Yorkshire.
The BBC's online health editor Michelle Roberts answers some of your questions about coronavirus vaccines. Here are some of your questions about these latest restrictions.
Would a vaccine be 100% safe - I am worried that a vaccine may be rushed out and there may be unwanted side-effects? I live in Calderdale and haven't created a support bubble, but my son and granddaughters are planning to visit from Wales. Can they still come?
From Tim Pryke, Woodlesford, Leeds From Jason Webster
New vaccines undergo rigorous safety checks before they can be recommended for widespread use. Although research into a coronavirus vaccine is happening at a very rapid pace, these checks are still happening in clinical trials. Calderdale is one of the areas affected by the new rules. That means no two households can mix in any setting - including your home.
Any treatment can have some side-effects and vaccines are no different. The most common side-effects of vaccines are typically mild and can include swelling or redness to the skin where the jab was given. Support bubbles are an exception to the rule, as everyone in a bubble counts as one household. However, in order to form one, there are a number of requirements.
Is there any proof that the flu vaccine in 2019 and 2020 have been checked for Covid-19? For example, in England only single adults living alone or with children under 18 are allowed to form a bubble with one other family. Also, once a bubble is formed you cannot switch and start another one.
From Antonia Saluto, Bedford, England The Welsh government says there are no cross-border restrictions, so a household in Wales could form a bubble with a household in England. However, Wales has different requirements - so you need to carefully check both countries' rules before you form a bubble.
The seasonal flu vaccine will not protect against coronavirus. Flu (influenza) and coronavirus are completely different diseases caused by different viruses. My four daughters live in London and they have come up for Eid. Do they have to go back or can they stay?
Having a flu jab is a good idea, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic, to help protect your health. From Parvis in Stockport
Flu can cause severe illness in some people, and those at high risk - which includes the over-65s and people with long-term health conditions - can get a free flu jab on the NHS. If you live in the affected area, you cannot host people from outside your immediate household - this includes members of your family, such as your daughters. The only exception to this would be if your household is already in a support bubble with one of them.
Are people who have transplants able to have the vaccine? You could still meet your daughters outdoors. Gatherings of up to six people are allowed outdoors, where there is a lower risk of infection (but not in your garden). You still have to socially distance - this means maintaining a distance of 2m (6ft), or 1m with mitigations (such as wearing face coverings).
From Anne Lindo, Reading, England The two main ways of catching coronavirus are through breathing in droplets of fluid expelled by an infected person, or touching a surface the droplets land on and touching your face.
Scientists are testing lots of different potential coronavirus vaccines. It is not yet clear which ones may be most effective, if any. Different versions may be more suitable for some people than others. Outside, better ventilation means droplets will disperse in the air faster. And the droplets that fall to the ground are less likely to fall on to surfaces that people will touch.
Tests are happening in volunteers but it will take time to get results and to know who might benefit from vaccination. The virus also dies faster in direct sunlight.
If you have received a transplant and are taking immunosuppressant drugs to prevent rejection, some vaccines, such as "live" vaccines containing weakened bacteria or viruses, may not be appropriate for you. You may also attend a mosque with your daughters, but here too you must also socially distance.
Would this vaccine still be effective if the virus mutates? I live in Greater Manchester and my daughter lives in Cumbria. Can we still go on our planned holiday together in France?
From Alan Ng, Dingley, Canada From Diane Sellers
The coronavirus vaccines being developed at the moment are based on the viral strain currently circulating. The guidance from the government is that if you live in one of the affected areas you should not visit someone else's home or garden even if they live outside the affected areas.
Viruses can mutate, but this will not necessarily make the corresponding vaccine less effective. It depends how significant the mutations are and whether they affect the part of the virus the vaccines are designed to safely mimic. So your daughter would not be able to visit your home and you would not be able to visit her home in Cumbria, unless you are part of a support bubble.
Many of the experimental coronavirus jabs currently being tested contain the genetic instructions for the surface spike protein that coronavirus uses to attach to and infect human cells. Reassuringly, scientists have not seen any substantial mutations to this part of the virus yet that would render these vaccines useless. Going to France is somewhat less clear. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on BBC radio this morning "there are no restrictions on travel", so you should be fine to get there.
Face covering questions Once you are in France, you need to be following French law, which does not currently discriminate between people from Greater Manchester and those from Cumbria, although you would have to follow local rules on things like face coverings.
From 24 July, face coverings in shops in England will be compulsory. I live in Northumberland and my grandchildren from Bolton are staying for a few days. Their parents will come to bring them back home. How does that affect us?
Here are some of your questions on the subject. From Christine Greenall
Correction 22 July: This piece has been amended to accurately reflect that face visors are not a substitute for a face covering. You are allowed to travel to and from the affected areas but you cannot visit people's private homes and gardens unless you are part of a support bubble.
So your grandchildren's parents will be able to come to Northumberland to pick up their children, but they should not enter your home or garden unless they are in your support bubble.
Why are they treating every Greater Manchester area the same? In Wigan we have the lowest infection rate?
From Anne Upton
Wigan does indeed have the lowest level of cases among the boroughs in Greater Manchester in the last week, with eight per 100,000 people. The worst-hit borough was Oldham, with 57 cases per 100,000.
Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, told BBC Breakfast that what had concerned him was the way the cases were rising.
"This time last week we had a falling rate of cases in nine out of our 10 boroughs," he said.
"This week the picture has changed completely, where we have a rising rate in nine out of 10."
While Wigan's rate is relatively low, it has doubled from four per 100,000 last week.
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