“It will significantly reduce levels of serious illness, hospitalisation and deaths 2-3 weeks after vaccination.
“It will, in time, also reduce pressures on our health and social care system in due course when more people are vaccinated.
“However, that does not mean that individuals who are vaccinated can start behaving as if the pandemic is over for them. It is not.
“Caution and vigilance have to remain the watchwords, particularly until such times as the vaccination programme is much further advanced in the whole population.
“For a start, no vaccine is 100% effective.
“Some people who receive it will not benefit from the full protection that the vast majority will enjoy.
Lady Mary Peters has spoken of her relief at getting the Covid vaccination, and encouraged others to do so.
The 81-year-old received the vaccine from GP Dr Andrew Dick from The Hill Medical Group Practice in Dunmurry.
“It was the easiest thing getting the vaccine this morning, it was such a relief to me,” she said in a new video from the Public Health Agency.
“I heard all my friends had already had their vaccine and I was waiting for my letter to come and resisting phoning to find out.”
She added that she now felt more secure for herself and those she comes into contact with.
The 15 Northern Ireland postcodes hardest hit by coronavirus in the last 7 days
Postcodes in Belfast, counties Armagh and Tyrone make up the majority
Updated
Latest weekly infection rate (Image: DoH)
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The Northern Ireland postcodes where coronavirus spread most between February 1 to 7 have been revealed by the Department of Health.
That’s the vital public health message, as Northern Ireland’s vaccination programme continues to roll out.
People who have received Covid-19 vaccine jabs need to keep strictly following all the measures that keep themselves and others safe from the virus. That includes staying at home and keeping their distance from people outside their households.
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Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride said:
“Vaccination protects people from Covid. It will significantly reduce levels of serious illness, hospitalisation and deaths two to three weeks after vaccination. It will, in time, also reduce pressures on our health and social care system in due course when more people are vaccinated.
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