Professor Jonathan Van-Tam set out how the timetable for developing and approving a vaccine had been condensed from the usual several years due to the coronavirus crisis.
At a Downing Street briefing he said: “Everyone knows that this is a public health emergency. We are in a much more difficult position.”
He said he had encouraged his 78-year-old mother to be ready to take a coronavirus vaccine as soon as possible.
Asked whether high-profile Government figures such as himself or the Prime Minister should take a vaccine first to prove to the public it was safe, he said he would be “at the front of the queue” if he was allowed.
He said he was a 56-year-old with one medium-to-high risk condition, so there were people with greater priority.
“If I could, rightly and morally, be at the very front of the queue, then I would do so, because I absolutely trust the judgment of the MHRA on safety and efficacy,” he said.
Referring to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, he said: “We do have the option to order up to 40 million doses.
“We will not use anything until the MHRA has made its adjudication on safety and effectiveness.
“Do I think we will then move at pace to keep up with the volumes that are supplied to us? Yes, I absolutely do.”
