Covid wipes out anti-vaxxer family: Son loses father, 73, mother, 65, and brother, 40, to virus within a week of family meal after they refused the jab
- Francis Goncalves, 43, lost three family members in one week due to Covid-19 after they refused the vaccine
- His brother, Shaul, 40, father Basil, 73, and mother, Charmagne, 65, died in Portugal last month due to Covid
- He said all three had fallen victim to 'anti-vaccination propaganda', conspiracy theories and 'misinformation'
- It comes after Cambridge graduate Leslie Lawrenson, 58, died after saying Covid was 'nothing to be afraid of'
- Bodybuilder and rock climbing enthusiast John Eyers, 42, also died of Covid after refusing to have the vaccineA heartbroken son from a family of anti-vaxxers has revealed how his mother, father and brother all died of Covid within the space of a week, after refusing to get the coronavirus vaccine.
Francis Goncalves suffered the devastating triple loss of his brother Shaul, 40, father, Basil, 73, and mother, Charmagne, 65, last month.
The 43-year-old, who lives Cardiff, says his three relatives, who were based in Portugal, refused the Covid jab after falling victim to 'anti-vaccination propaganda'.A heartbroken son from a family of anti-vaxxers has revealed how his mother, father and brother all died of Covid within the space of a week, after refusing to get the coronavirus vaccine.
Francis Goncalves suffered the devastating triple loss of his brother Shaul, 40, father, Basil, 73, and mother, Charmagne, 65, last month.
The 43-year-old, who lives Cardiff, says his three relatives, who were based in Portugal, refused the Covid jab after falling victim to 'anti-vaccination propaganda'.Now Francis, who believes the virus spread through his family during a meal, is pleading with others to avoid 'falling into the trap' of Covid conspiracies.
He said: 'They (my family) got caught up in a lot of the anti-vaccination propaganda that's going around. It preys on people who are afraid and they fall into the trap.
'The message I want to get out is why would the government want to hurt you by giving you a vaccine? What is the purpose behind it? I've spoken to so many people who are terrified of the vaccine and it costs lives.'
Francis said that, while his mother had underlying health issues and his father had recently been in hospital with kidney stones, he was particularly shocked by the death of his brother - who he described as the 'healthiest person' he knew.
He said he believes the vaccine would have saved his brother's life, adding: 'If he wasn't working out in the gym or running, he was going on walks. He hadn't drunk in 15 years and ate a whole foods plant-based diet.'
Francis' tragedy is the latest in a line of anti-vaxxer deaths, including the likes of super-fit rock climbing and bodybuilding enthusiast John Eyers, 42, who died of Covid after refusing the jab due to his belief he would be fine without it.
Cambridge University graduate Leslie Lawrenson, 58, also passed away at his home in Bournemouth on July 2, just nine days after releasing footage to Facebook explaining why Covid was 'nothing to be afraid of'.
Two doses of AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine - the jab most commonly used in the UK - slash the risk of death from the disease by 94 per cent among the over-65s, real world data shows.
Imperial College London figures also show a double dose of the jab is 55 per cent effective at blocking symptoms of the Indian 'Delta' variant, while he efficacy figure for two doses of either Pfizer or Moderna is thought to be in the region of 85 per cent.
The tragic Covid deaths come as the Government continues to ramp up pressure on young people to get the Covid jab, amid fears uptake could slow - despite more than two-thirds of those aged 18 to 29 already having had a first dose.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) last week recommended the 1.4million youngsters aged 16-17 should be offered Pfizer jabs.
Officials are keen to push the immunisation drive on to more youngsters in order to prevent an autumn surge in Covid infections when they return to schools in September.
Meanwhile, official figures show Covid cases are continuing to rise in the UK with a further 27,429 infections reported yesterday, an increase of 12 per cent on last Sunday's figure of 24,470. A total of 39 people were recorded as dying in the UK from Covid yesterday.
Francis Goncalves (pictured with his family) suffered the devastating triple loss of his brother Shaul, 40, father, Basil, 73, and mother, Charmagne, 65, last month
The 43-year-old (pictured), who lives in Cardiff, says his family members refused the Covid jab after falling victim to 'anti-vaccination propaganda' and 'misinformation'
Francis said that, while his mother had underlying health issues and his father had been in hospital with kidney stones, he was particularly shocked by the death of his brother, who he described as the 'healthiest person' he knew. He said he believes the vaccine would have saved his brother's life, adding: 'If he wasn't working out in the gym or running, he was going on walks. He hadn't drunk in 15 years and ate a whole foods plant-based diet.'
Francis' family (pictured: His mother Charmagne and father Basil) were all in Portugal at the time of their deaths. He said they all began to feel unwell on the weekend of July 10, a few days after having a meal together
SAGE estimates the R rate — which shows how quickly the virus is spreading — is between 0.8 and 1.1. It means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 8 and 11 other people
Nearly 30 areas in England have not fully vaccinated their over-50 populations against Covid, official statistics have revealed as experts warn there are huge pockets of the population still vulnerable to the virus. Graph shows
Harehills South in Leeds has reached the fewest over-50s, with just 813 of the 1,562 living in the area receiving their second dose — 52 per cent of the population. Map shows: The proportion of adults who have had both Covid vaccine doses
Overall, 2.5million over-50s (11 per cent) have not yet got their second jab and 2million haven't had their first (nine per cent)
Francis' tragedy began last month after his family, who were all in Portugal at the time of their deaths, after they enjoyed a meal together. They began feeling sick a few days later, on July 10.
He said he believed his father picked up Covid while in hospital receiving treatment for kidney stones days before and may have spread it at the meal.
Francis said: 'On Thursday, July 8, my parents had dinner at my brother's apartment he shares with his girlfriend and they started to feel very ill that weekend.
'On the Monday, my brother's girlfriend said Shaul could feel something was wrong.
'He said he'd never felt anything like it, that he felt like he was filled with weight and that he was tired. He decided to get a test for Covid and they tested positive.
'My parents were really ill at the time as well. They went through to the hospital and I had a text from my father that afternoon saying they've been admitted into the hospital because they have both tested positive. That was on July 12.'
With Francis being so far away in Cardiff, he said it became difficult to get hold of his parents.
But on Wednesday, July 14 he discovered his father - who has underlying health issues - had been moved to the intensive care unit (ICU).
From that point on each family member started to deteriorate, so Francis made plans to fly over to be with them in Portugal.
He said: 'I spoke to my brother every day and we couldn't get hold of my father. He had a little bit of battery life available on his phone on the Tuesday morning and I managed to ask him how he was doing, but then he didn't have a charger.
'It was very difficult for me to get hold of him in a country I couldn't speak the language.
'My brother was finding it frustrating to get in touch with my parents as well, but he managed to get through to my mother on the Wednesday, which was when my father was put into an induced coma and moved to ICU.
'Meanwhile [my brother's] mucus had changed from green to brown and I told him to be very careful because that could be a sign of pneumonia.
'From then, he deteriorated and when I managed to speak to him, I could tell there was definitely something wrong with him. I started pushing my plans to get up there faster.'
But heartbreakingly, as Francis waited for the Covid test results he needed to be able to fly out to Portugal, he received a text saying his brother had been rushed to hospital.
'On the Saturday (July 17) I had a message at 8.08pm to say Shaul had been rushed off to hospital in an ambulance,' he said. 'I spoke to his girlfriend and she was really worried. Then, at about 1am I received a call from her saying she had been told he had passed away that evening.'
With his brother being Francis' only means of contacting his parents, he had to get hold of a law firm in Portugal to help him out. The firm contacted the hospital on his behalf and passed on his contact details.
Devastatingly, on Tuesday, July 20 the hospital called Francis to say his father had also died.
The next day, Francis finally managed to get a flight up to Portugal to see his mother and to make arrangements for his dad and brother.
When he arrived, he discovered his mother - who had a number of underlying health issues, including an autoimmune disease - was struggling to cope with the virus.
Francis said: 'On the Wednesday, I travelled through to Portugal after getting my PCR test results and I managed to find out more about my mother. She was also in an induced coma.
Francis (pictured with his family) said he believed his father picked up Covid while in hospital receiving treatment for kidney stones days before
With Francis being so far away in Cardiff, he said it became difficult to get hold of his parents (pictured left: His mother Charmagne). But on Wednesday, July 14 he discovered his father (pictured right) - who has underlying health issues - had been moved to the intensive care unit (ICU). From that point on each family member started to deteriorate, so Francis made plans to fly over to be with them in Portugal.
Covid cases are rising among adults in their early twenties and the oldest teenagers in England, and are static among adults in their late twenties. Experts said this could be due to Freedom Day easings and the long daylight hours encouraging more socialising. Younger age groups tend to do more socialising than older age groups
The rate is lowest in the North East and Yorkshire, as well as the North West, with both areas having a rate of around 0.7 to 1
'They allowed me to go and see her which was already a sign that things weren't going well and I had to dress up in full PPE.
'Then on the Saturday, JuIy 24, I received a phone call from the doctor saying they were in a situation where they had tried everything and the next couple of hours would be critical. Later that evening, I received a call to say she had passed away.'
A week later, on Sunday, August 1, all three members of the family were buried next to each other at a cemetery in Lisbon called Sao Joao, where a section is dedicated to Covid-related deaths.
Francis said: '[They were buried] where all the Covid bodies are buried. It's allocated and marked off. They said the entire time during Covid they'd never had three bodies brought in together from the same family.
'I asked about exhuming the bodies at a later date and moving them somewhere outside a dedicated Covid zone, as it didn't represent my family.
'But they said that unfortunately not knowing enough about Covid there is no intention of moving them ever. It was really terrible.'
Francis, who returned home from Portugal on Friday, said his experience had been incredibly painful. He said his family was 'small and close' but that his mum, dad and brother had all positively impacted the lives of many others around them.
Francis said he grew up in South Africa and that his brother helped the family to move to Cardiff in 2015 to escape violence in the region.
A year later, his parents and brother moved to Portugal, where his father was originally from. Describing his family, he said: 'My father gave everything. He would wear broken shoes so we could have the best they could get.
Francis, who returned home from Portugal on Friday, said his experience had been incredibly painful. He said his family (pictured: Francis with his brother and father) was 'small and close' but that his mum, dad and brother had all positively impacted the lives of many others around them
Francis described his brother (pictured left with his mother) as his 'best friend' and said he ran a YouTube channel called Animation Deconstructed. He said his mother Charmagne (pictured right) was a 'mother hen' who would 'do anything for us'
The Covid Symptom Study estimated cases fell by almost a quarter last week, after saying they had plateaued. It estimated 46,905 people are now catching Covid every day, down from almost 60,000 previously
Covid cases are still dropping week-on-week in all age groups, but the rate of decrease has slowed considerably among adults in their early twenties. It could switch to a rise in cases in the coming days
'I found a bible he carried around with him when I was in Lisbon and I opened it up and saw a bookmark and it was a picture of my mum when she was in her 20s.
'I could see that he loved her and she loved him. He never knew his father, but he always tried to be something more.
'My mother was a mother hen and she'd do anything for us. I remember my brother started a little printing company and couldn't get much work so my mother started selling things of hers so she could help him out.
'My brother was my best friend. He started a YouTube channel called Animation Deconstructed where he would talk people through animation and it was picking up slowly, but the greatest and worst part about it is it's now gone crazy.
'This was his thing and the career he wanted and he never got to see it.
'He always looked out for the best interests of people around him and he wanted to teach people. He spend time helping people and wouldn't ask for anything in return.
'That was the same with my father, he would go to people's places and help fixed things for them. I was and am still proud of my family.'
Francis said as he has grieved for his three closest family members over the last few weeks, his time has been spent dealing with attorneys, funeral homes and hospitals.
He said it had been been a 'rollercoaster' going from one thing to the next.
He said: 'I went over to Portugal with the intention of looking after our parents after hearing my brother was ill. It's literally been a push from one day to the next to get things done, but you just have to sort it out and get it done.
'You're just gritting your teeth and pushing through and if you manage to get a pause, it becomes a flood of emotion.
'I'm very lucky that my friends have offered their time to chat, the support has definitely helped me. My wife and my extended family on both sides also supported me.
'I'm at home now and I know everything is going to sink in a lot faster because I don't need to rush through things so much. I'm going to have time to focus on what's happened so I expect to be quite overwhelmed.'
Twin sister's heartbreak as body-building brother, 42, who rejected jab because he 'didn't want vaccine in his body' died four weeks after catching Covid...
Francis' tragedy comes after the death of rock climbing and body building enthusiast John Eyers, 42, to Covid
After his death, his twin sister tragically revealed he had refused the vaccine because he thought he would be OK if he caught the virus.
Mr Eyers, a construction expert from Southport, Merseyside, had been climbing the Welsh mountains and wild camping one month before his death last week, which came exactly four weeks after he tested positive.
His twin sister Jenny McCann from London said he was the 'fittest, healthiest person I know' and had thought he would only have a 'mild illness' if he contracted coronavirus, adding that he had a 'belief in his own immortality'. Mrs McCann said that Mr Eyers had 'no underlying health conditions' but did also state that he had asthma.
Before going onto a ventilator in hospital, Mr Eyers told his consultant that he wished he had been vaccinated - and died in intensive care after suffering from an infection and organ failure, leaving behind a daughter aged 19.
Mr Eyers, who died on July 27 at Southport & Ormskirk Hospital, was described by Mrs McCann last month when he was still alive as a 'staunch anti-vaxxer'. She added that the family had 'all fallen out with him over his stance'.
The mother-of-two posted a series of tweets about Mr Eyers this week, saying: 'My 42-year-old old twin brother died in ITU (intensive treatment unit) of Covid-19 last week. He died exactly four weeks after testing positive.
'He was the fittest, healthiest person I know. He was climbing Welsh mountains and wild camping four weeks before his death. The only pre-existing health condition he had was the belief in his own immortality.
John Eyers, 42, had been climbing the Welsh mountains and wild camping one month before his death from Covid last week
Before going onto a ventilator in hospital, Mr Eyers told his consultant that he wished he had been vaccinated, his sister said
In May, his sister Jenny McCann had tweeted a selfie after getting her first jab, saying: 'Full on tears after getting Covid jab'
'He thought if he contracted Covid-19 he would be OK. He thought he would have a mild illness. He didn't want to put a vaccine on his body. His was pumped full of every drug in the hospital. They threw everything at him.
'But eventually the bedfellow of Covid-19, infection and organ failure, claimed his life. Before he was ventilated he told his consultant that he wished he had been vaccinated. That he wished he had listened. His death is a tragedy.
'It shouldn't have happened. He leaves a mum and dad, a sister (me), and a 19-year-old daughter. My two children have lost their fun uncle. The Uncle who would always play with them.
'The uncle that dressed up as Father Christmas on Christmas Day. My mum has lost her baby boy. My niece, her much loved and needed Dad.
'This shouldn't have happened. My mum wants people to know about John. For his story to save someone's life. For pain and loss to drive people to get a vaccine.'
Anti-vaxxer club boss, 56, dies of Covid after mocking people for getting 'experimental' vaccine and warning of 'big pharma' conspiracy in hundreds of Facebook messages
It also comes after an anti-vaxxer nightclub boss died of Covid-19 after mocking people for getting the 'experimental' vaccine and warning of a 'big pharma' conspiracy in hundreds of Facebook messages.
David Parker, 56, passed away at Darlington Memorial Hospital in County Durham earlier this month despite having no underlying health conditions.
He had contracted the virus just weeks after condemning the vaccine and pharmaceutical companies in social media posts.
The family of Mr Parker, who spent a decade working as the manager of Club Louis in North Yorkshire, are said to now be urging everyone to get the jab.
His close friend Steve Wignall, 59, told The Sun: 'His family are devastated, they were very close and loved each other dearly.
'But despite their terrible loss they would like it to be known that they're encouraging everyone to please get vaccinated because they don't want others to suffer as they are now.'
David Parker (pictured above), 56, contracted the virus and died at Darlington Memorial Hospital in County Durham on Monday, despite having no underlying health conditions
Mr Parker, above, spent a decade working as the manager of Club Louis in Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire. The nightclub paidIn one post on Facebook, Mr Parker shared an image of an anti-lockdown protest in London, writing 'brilliant' with a clapping hands emoji.
Other posts included a meme deriding people who post pictures of their vaccine card, and an image of a man wearing a tin foil hat with text written across it reading: 'When you realise your tin foil hat has less aluminum than a vaccine'.
Mr Parker once wrote: 'I feel the need to post information on here for people that aren't receiving another side to the story due to media not being impartial.
'When research is done into who finances the media it leads to the pharmaceutical companies. Who knows who is right or wrong. If I'm wrong I'll hold my hand up but I will not stay silent.'
He also shared a link to a Facebook group called 'The Unvaccinated Arms', which tells its 22,220 members not to use the words 'Covid' or 'vaccine' due to 'restrictions and posts being suppressed' by the social media platform.
It is unclear whether Mr Parker was a member of the group.
Following his death, relatives have commented on some of the posts, with one person writing: 'So sad to see this. RIP Uncle David, it could have saved you!'
Mr Wignall, who works as the director at Club Louis, fell ill with Covid on the same day as his colleague. He was fully vaccinated while Mr Parker had not received one dose of the vaccine.
He said: 'He [Mr Parker] didn't believe in it and he didn't want it, it was out of distrust of the elite, frankly, and we couldn't change his mind.'
Cambridge-educated anti-vaxx solicitor, 58, recorded video saying Covid 'is nothing to be afraid of' - nine days before dying from the disease
It comes as, in perhaps one of the most shocking anti-vaxxer Covid deaths yet, a Cambridge University graduate recorded himself downplaying his Covid symptoms and telling viewers the disease was not to be feared days before the virus claimed his life.
Solicitor Leslie Lawrenson, 58, died at his home in Bournemouth, Dorset, just nine days after releasing footage to Facebook explaining why Covid-19 was 'nothing to be afraid of'.
Leslie had no underlying health conditions and had previously refused his vaccine because he believed he 'did not need it' and instead placed his faith in his immune system.
Wanting to record 'the realities' of having the virus for '99,9% of us', anti-vaxxer Leslie took to social media to share two vlog posts earlier this summer.
With intermittent coughing breaking up his monologue, he explains his symptoms and describes them as 'no worse than a cold'.
He later criticises the Government's approach to Covid-19 restrictions, saying 'these are things we have to suffer, it's part of living', before urging viewers to 'trust' their immune systems over vaccines.
In the videos shared to his Facebook feed, Leslie describes having a 'very high temperature, aches, pains and shivers' at around 11pm on June 24
Comparing his symptoms to a bad cold, he says he 'doesn't feel too bad' and that if he is diagnosed with Covid-19 he will 'gladly take it'.
He tells viewers he wants to get 'antibodies and natural immunity in my blood' rather than receive a vaccine.
He passed away on July 2, just nine days after recording his initial video.
On the same day Leslie died, his partner Amanda Mitchell, 56, who has diabetes and was also suffering with Covid, was admitted to hospital with pneumonia – she was also unvaccinated.
Reacting to his death, she said: 'I feel incredibly foolish. Les died unnecessarily. Les made a terrible mistake and he's paid the ultimate price for that.'
Days before his passing, Leslie said in a clip: 'If I have got Covid-19, this is what 99.9 per cent of us will experience.
'There's no need to be afraid. There's no need to panic. I hope I've got it. I hope it is Covid. I'd rather the antibodies than the jabs.'
In a second video released the following morning, Leslie explains his symptoms 'massively ramped up' and he did not get any sleep. He said on the vlog: 'Last night was pretty dreadful. The symptoms had massively ramped up. I spent six hours in a fetal position trying to block out the pain. Every part of my body was wracked with pain. I didn't get any sleep. It was agony. My breathing got constricted for about an hour.'
Despite these revelations, he admits he did not feel like he was in any real 'danger'.
'I didn't get the point where I would have had to be hospitalised. Things did get worse, but I am glad I got Covid-19. These are things we have to suffer. You have to trust your immune system.'
Ms Mitchell said her partner, a Cambridge University graduate, decided against having a coronavirus jab after reading material on social media.
She said: 'It was a daily thing that he said to us: "You don't need to haveit, you'll be fine, just be careful." Les was highly educated... so if he told me something, I tended to believe it.'
'I thought it was just the elderly who got sick': Vaccine sceptic, 46, dies of Covid a month after sharing Facebook posts from his ICU bed warning 'anyone with similar thoughts' to go and get jab
ByShari Miller For MailonlineA vaccine sceptic who warned others from his intensive care bed not to delay getting the jab like him has died from coronavirus.
Brian Lynch, who wanted to wait for more data before getting the vaccine, pictured before he fell ill with Covid-19
Removal firm boss Brian Lynch, 46, said he was not an anti-vaxxer, but wanted more long-term scientific data before getting the jab.
He was admitted to Royal Blackburn Hospital on July 7 and spent weeks in intensive care, during which he vowed to friends he would get the vaccine if he recovered.
In a Facebook post from his ICU bed Mr Lynch said he felt 'the most frightened he had ever been' and admitted he 'thought it was the vulnerable and the elderly who got hospitalised'.
But Mr Lynch, of Blackburn, Lancashire, was later placed in a medically-induced coma and died with his family and wife Gina by his side on July 31.
Mr Lynch's death is the latest in a series of vaccine sceptics and anti-vaxxers who have died after refusing to receive the jab this year.
Close family friend Nicky Ashton had organised a pub fundraiser prior to the tragedy to support Mr Lynch ahead of his return home, and the event went ahead as planned on August 1.
Devastated Nicky said: 'Brian would have wanted the day to go ahead.
'We filled the pub inside and out - the day turned into a celebration full of love, tears and lots of talk and fond memories of Brian.
'Most of Blackburn followed his story over the three weeks that Brian was in a coma and almost everyone you spoke to knew of his fight.
'He really was one of the best people who would help anyone out and he will be missed so much .'
In a Facebook post on July 7, Mr Lynch explained how he 'wasn't feeling well' so decided to take a PCR test, 'despite what I think about testing and Covid vaccines.'
His wife, Gina Lynch, also contracted Covid-19 at the same time and was able to recover from her mild illness at home.
He wrote: 'I sent off for a PCR test more in the interests of my family, friends and business customers. It came back positive. I'll be honest, I thought it was the vulnerable and the elderly who got hospitalised.
Mr Lynch was admitted to The Royal Blackburn Hospital, Lancashire and died after weeks of being treated on the intensive care unit
Mr Lynch said he felt 'the most frightened he had ever been' and admitted he 'thought it was the vulnerable and the elderly who got hospitalised'
'Well, as I found out the hard way, my oxygen levels went down to 52 per cent and I could not get my breath.
'It's the most frightened I've ever been and I felt like I was being suffocated in my own body.
'I'm now on ICU in Blackburn and been on a ventilator since I arrived trying to strengthen my lungs up and get my oxygen levels back up.
'To anyone that may have similar sort of thoughts to this (as) I had, I just have to say this - I hope it doesn't get you.'
Mr Lynch went on to say that he had been put on a ventilator in the intensive care unit, and took a selfie from his hospital bed.
He said he was determined to strengthen his lungs before saying 'hopefully I'll be out soon'.
A few days later on July 12 he wrote: 'Well been awake since 4.45am, woke up coughing fit again, just managed to calm down after nearly an hour.
'This Covid cough really is brutal can't wait for it to dissipate. Can't catch ya breath with it, just takes all your energy.'
Mr Lynch's funeral will now be held at Pleasington Crematorium on August 13 at 1.30pm, but Covid-19 restrictions mean seats are limited.
However, the service can be listened to from outside the crematorium and it will be live streamed at the Havelock marquee.
The procession will pass the Havelock Inn pub, where everyone will be given the opportunity to pay their respects.
People will also be encouraged to wear the colour green and let off green smoke flares, a colour synonymous with Mr Lynch.
Britain is 'close' to hitting herd immunity against Covid but will dip BELOW key threshold over the winter, Government adviser says
By Stephen Matthews Health Editor For Mailonline
The UK may be within touching distance of finally reaching herd immunity against Covid, according to one of No10's top scientific advisers.
Professor Mark Woolhouse, an epidemiologist at Edinburgh University, believes 'we're pretty close' to hitting the key threshold.
But he warned the UK would 'bounce around' and dip below the marker throughout the winter, when another resurgence is expected.
Herd immunity refers to having such a high proportion of a population protected that a pathogen finds it difficult to spread.
But it's not a simple 'all-or-nothing' concept, according to Professor Woolhouse, who sits on a modelling sub-committee of SAGE.
And because immunity can fade over time, many other experts believe achieving a true constant state of herd immunity will be impossible.
Other leading virologists believe the coronavirus will never be eradicated and will instead become endemic, meaning it will circulate for generations.
They say people will gradually build-up immunity through repeated vaccinations and natural infection. As a result, symptoms of the virus will eventually resemble that of a common cold.
Asked about how far away Britain was from achieving herd immunity, Professor Woolhouse told Times Radio yesterday: 'We're pretty close.
'Ninety per cent of adults have some sort of vaccination… but there are still around 8million adults in the UK who have not been vaccinated.'
He added: 'We don't know how people's behaviour is going to change over the winter months.
'I suspect we're going to be bouncing around either side of the herd immunity threshold for quite a few months to come, probably over the whole winter.'
The concept of herd immunity was first floated last March, when SARS-CoV-2 and its clever transmission tactics were shrouded in mystery.
No10's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance claimed the threshold could be hit if approximately 60 per cent of the country — or 40million people — had some level of protection.
Professor Woolhouse said the threshold now was probably in the region of the 'high 80s' because the virus had mutated to become more contagious.
But he warned the herd immunity threshold could be 'raised that bit higher' if people behave differently or 'transmissions start to pick up again'.
He added: 'It's going to be a very cautious period for epidemiologists like me to predict just how close we are to it.'
It comes after several top scientists told MailOnline last week that the concept of achieving herd immunity looked ever-increasingly impossible.
Neither vaccines nor getting infected create a 'perfect' immune response, meaning carriers can still transmit the virus.
And any immunity generated by natural infection or jabs is likely to only be short-lived.
But scientists say this makes it even more important to get a vaccine because higher levels of immunity in the population still slow the spread.
And jabs will protect tens of thousands of vulnerable people from dying in future waves, as the virus gradually becomes endemic.
Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious disease expert at the University of East Anglia, said: 'You do not get herd immunity against coronaviruses because immunity is not sufficient or last long enough to stop spread.'
Dr Adam Kucharski, an infectious disease expert at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and member of SAGE sub-committee Spi-M, said immunity will gradually build-up over time through a mix of natural infection and vaccines.
He told MailOnline: 'To reach herd immunity, there needs to be enough immunity to reduce R below one, even when everyone is back to normal social interactions.
'So the more transmissible the virus, or the less effective the vaccine in reducing transmission, the higher this threshold.
'Vaccines against measles are very effective, with long-lasting immunity. In contrast, flu vaccines don't reduce transmission as much, and the virus gradually evolves to reduce this effectiveness further.'
Dr Kucharski said it meant large flu outbreaks are still expected every winter, but that they eventually fizzle out as a result of natural immunity.
'Covid vaccines worked very well against the Alpha variant (which triggered Britain's devastating second wave in January),' he told MailOnline.
'It meant transmission of the Alpha variant declined dramatically as a result, but the characteristics of Delta have put us in a scenario closer to what we see with flu.'
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