A SOUTHAMPTON researcher says we should “remain a little cautious” despite the announcement of a covid vaccine.

Pharmaceutical company Pfizer has announced its coronavirus vaccine candidate is more than 90% effective in preventing Covid-19 during a major trial.

And Dr Albert Bourla, Pfizer chairman and CEO, said: “Today is a great day for science and humanity.

“The first set of results from our phase three Covid-19 vaccine trial provides the initial evidence of our vaccine’s ability to prevent Covid-19.

“We are reaching this critical milestone in our vaccine development programme at a time when the world needs it most with infection rates setting new records, hospitals nearing over-capacity and economies struggling to reopen.”

But Dr Michael Head, senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton, says we should remain a little cautious despite an excellent result from coronavirus vaccine trials.

He said “This cautiously sounds like an excellent result from the phase three trials. But we should remain a little cautious.

“If the final results show an effectiveness of anywhere near 90% with response in elderly and ethnic minority populations, that is an excellent result for a first generation vaccine.”

Dr Head added that if the vaccine is approved for use by regulators then there could be difficulties posed by logistics and distribution due to the temperature that the vaccine needs to be stored at.

He said: “It has been reported that the vaccine requires storage at minus 70C (minus 94F) and that is not necessarily routinely available in most health centres even in the UK, let alone globally.”

Meanwhile, a new walk-through testing site for coronavirus is being set up in Fareham.

The Department of Health and Social Care is opening the centre in the car park at Cams Alders Recreation Ground today.

Operating on an appointment-only basis, anyone with coronavirus symptoms, however mild, can get a free swab test that takes less than a minute.

Tests should be booked or ordered as soon as symptoms begin via the NHS website or by calling 119.

The site will operate using detailed procedures that have been approved by Public Health England

Two new coronavirus deaths have been recorded at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust, the latest official figures show.

Data released by NHS England shows that two more people with coronavirus have died in the county’s hospitals.

Both were recorded on November 7.

It means Hampshire’s coronavirus hospital death totals throughout the pandemic are 177 for Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 247 for Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, two for Solent NHS Trust, 17 for Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust and 218 at University Hospital Southampton.

Across England, a further 167 people have died in hospitals with coronavirus, bringing the total to 34,663.

Patients were aged between 23 and 97 and all but five had underlying health conditions.

Of these deaths, 15 came from the south east.