Boris Johnson urges experts to cut six-month wait for third Covid vaccine

Boris Johnson urges experts to cut six-month wait for third Covid vaccine
Boris Johnson urges experts to cut six-month wait for third Covid vaccine

Boris Johnson last night piled pressure on his scientific advisers to cut the waiting time for booster jabs from six months to five.

If a decision is made immediately, nearly 9 million more Britons will become eligible for a third dose of the vaccine.

Concern has been growing that the rollout of the Covid booster scheme has been far too slow, putting the public at risk as cases rise. At present, over-50s and those with health problems are invited for their jab six months after their second dose.

Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt yesterday called on ministers to cut the waiting time to five months.

Mr Johnson agreed that it was an ‘extremely important point’. The six-month deadline was imposed by the Government’s advisers on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The Prime Minister’s intervention suggests the JCVI may be asked to revisit the timeline.

Speaking during a visit to Northern Ireland, Mr Johnson urged over-50s to come forward and get their booster jabs as soon as they become eligible – saying it was important to ‘fortify’ defences against the virus.

‘The most important thing people can do now is get that booster jab. You get the call, get the jab. We have done about four million booster jabs already but as soon as you become eligible, as soon as you get that call, everybody over 50 should be getting that jab.

‘We are in a much better position going into the autumn/winter now than we were 12 months ago, incomparably better, because of the huge level of protection we have got from the vaccines.

‘Ninety per cent of the adult population has antibodies right now, but we most fortify ourselves further.

‘The numbers are high, we can see what’s happening, we can see the increase, now is the time to get those booster jabs.’

Earlier in the day, Mr Hunt said: ‘At its peak in the spring, we were jabbing 400,000 people a day. Now it’s less than 200,000 people a day.

Boris Johnson agreed that it was an ‘extremely important point’. The six-month deadline was imposed by the Government’s advisers on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The Prime Minister’s intervention suggests the JCVI may be asked to revisit the timeline

Boris Johnson agreed that it was an ‘extremely important point’. The six-month deadline was imposed by the Government’s advisers on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The Prime Minister’s intervention suggests the JCVI may be asked to revisit the timeline

‘If you look at the higher hospitalisations, cases and death rates, compared to countries like France and Germany, the heart of it is not actually things like mask-wearing and Covid passports, it is their higher vaccine immunity. 

Only fully vaxxed at 3rd dose? 

Britons may need three Covid jabs to be classed as ‘fully vaccinated’ in a move aimed at increasing booster uptake.

The change could see people who have only received two doses denied entry to crowded places if ministers press ahead with controversial plans for vaccine passports and restrict foreign travel.

Downing Street yesterday said officials were looking at whether to change the definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ status in future, but there were ‘no plans’ to do it at the moment. A spokesman added: ‘There is further work being done on that by clinical experts.’

Speaking last month, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan van Tam said there was ‘no current consideration of Covid certification in terms of the boosters’.

Asked if he would consider people fully vaccinated if they had not had three jabs, he added: ‘I would consider they don’t have the optimal protection on board, as a scientist.’ 

Advertisement

‘On the decision that people cannot have their booster jab until six months after their second job, how hard and fast should that rule be? Does it really matter, when it is only nine weeks until the Christmas holidays, if someone has their booster jab after only five months?

‘Should we not look at having some flexibility on that decision, so that we can get more people in for their booster jabs more quickly?’

Replying, vaccines minister Maggie Throup did not indicate a change was on the horizon.

‘The JCVI has provided advice that there should be a minimum of six months after the second jab, but I would like to reassure the House that the immunity does not fall off a cliff edge,’ she said. ‘It has waned slightly but not sufficiently, so there is still time for people to come forward.

‘Obviously, we are encouraging them to come forward as soon as they are eligible, but they still have a huge amount of immunity over and above those who have yet to get their first jab.’ But later the PM’s official spokesman suggested that pressure could be brought to bear on the JCVI.

‘We want to move as swiftly as possible on boosters,’ he said.

‘More than 5.5 million people have been invited, more than four million doses have been administered so far and we want to move as quickly as possible on that.

‘As you’ll know, there is that six-month time period that the JCVI currently recommends... so it’s only when those people become eligible that we are able to provide their boosters.’ Asked about Mr Hunt’s call to cut the waiting time to five months, the spokesman said: ‘That six-month gap is on JCVI advice currently. Obviously we would expect them to keep that under review and if they were to change the advice we would want to be in a position to move on that.’ It comes as a new study confirmed the importance of a third dose for boosting protection.

A booster shot of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine is 95.6 per cent effective against Covid-19 compared with two shots and a placebo, the study revealed.

Ugur Sahin, the head of BioNTech, said the ‘important data’ added to the body of evidence suggesting that a booster dose could help ‘protect a broad population of people from this virus and its variants’. 

Vaccine Q&A: How do I book a booster?

What is a Covid booster jab?

A booster is a third dose of a Covid vaccine. The particular brand of vaccine you receive – Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna or Oxford/AstraZeneca – might be different from the one you got for your first and second doses. The booster helps improve the protection you have from your first two doses. This is because the immunity given by two jabs starts to wane after about six months.

Who is eligible for a booster? Anyone over the age of 50 who had their second dose at least six months ago.

Younger people with health conditions that put them at greater risk of getting very ill from Covid are also due a booster, as well as frontline NHS and care home staff.

When will I get my booster?

You will be offered a booster jab about six months after your second dose. The NHS is contacting people around six months and one week after their second dose, inviting them to get their jab. It is important not to contact the NHS before then. Frontline health or social care workers can book a booster appointment online and do not have to wait to be contacted by the NHS.

How can I get one? When you become eligible you should receive a text, letter or phone call from your GP to arrange a booking.

However, if you had your second jab six months ago and still haven't been contacted, you can now book your booster online via the NHS website, or by calling 119.

Where are boosters being dished out? NHS England says there are 2,200 vaccine hubs around the country, 'most' of which are stocking boosters.

There are less mass vaccination hubs now than in the first rollout with the emphasis now on local pharmacies and GP surgeries. A full list of facilities administering boosters can be found when booking online.

How many boosters have been delivered already? 4.05million, but 8.7m are eligible. There have been calls for the rollout to speed up. Eventually more than 30m adults will qualify for boosters.

Which vaccine will I get?

Most will be offered a booster dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine or Moderna vaccine. This means

read more from dailymail.....

PREV Father, 35, who invaded neighbours' garden to retrieve son's football faces ... trends now
NEXT In news vacuum, rumours and concern swirl over Catherine mogaznewsen