People with double vaccine jabs could be spared 10-day isolation after coming into contact with virus

Linda Bauld professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh said those who have had two Covid-19 jabs and come into contact with someone infected with the virus may soon be spared 10 days of self-isolating.

She told Times Radio: "It's already in place in the US. The Centre for Disease Control changed their guidance a while ago to say that people who had had both doses of the vaccine and about 10-14 days after the second dose didn't have to self-isolate, so I think we are moving in that direction."

She added: "As we've heard repeatedly from Chris Whitty and others, this virus isn't going to disappear.

"We're going to have to live alongside it, means we are going to have infections in future, so being a contact of someone infected will always be a possibility."

Prof Bauld said there will be discussions on moving away from large numbers of children self-isolating and instead carrying out regular testing.

She had been asked if she thinks any move away from 10 days of self-isolation for people who are double vaccinated could be the Government's way of getting out of properly supporting those who are self-isolating.

Prof Bauld told Times Radio: "I hadn't actually thought of it that way to be perfectly frank, is this a sort of a reason not to support self-isolation, that may be part of it.

"I think it's more that as we move ahead and learn to live alongside this virus we have to recognise, not just for adults actually around self-isolation, but there will also be a debate, I think, about school pupils and whether we could offer regular testing as an alternative to large groups of children having to stay at home and not have face-to-face education, which of course has been happening quite a bit as infection rates rise and it's really unfortunate and should be avoidable."

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