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Recent press releases from Pfizer and Moderna containing details of the first interim analysis of phase 3 studies of their prospective covid-19 vaccines have been greeted enthusiastically by the media and the financial markets. While we wait for more data and market authorisation approval from the regulatory authority, the National Health Service is preparing for the largest vaccination programme in its history. The launch of these new vaccines will not only present a challenge in the logistics of supply and administration but also in the information and messages that people will need in order to make an informed decision on vaccination.
It is not yet clear how many people will have to be vaccinated to create community immunity and prevent virus transmission, as this depends on several factors including vaccine efficacy and the reproduction number.1 It is also not known how many people will want …
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Competing interests None declared. Refer to the online supplementary files to view the ICMJE form(s).
Provenance and peer review Commissioned; externally peer reviewed.