Matt Hancock says there could be annual coronavirus vaccine
Vaccination efforts are intensifying today, with seven mass vaccination centres opening across England. The new centres will open in Bristol, Surrey, London, Newcastle, Manchester, Stevenage and Birmingham. There are currently three vaccinations approved for the UK and their effectiveness hinges on the immunity that they will provide.
The current vaccines approved are from Pfizer/BioNTech, Oxford/AstraZeneca and Moderna.
According to Public Health England (PHE), the level of protection gained from a single dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine was assessed in an “exploratory analysis”.
“Protective immunity from the first dose likely lasts for a duration of 12 weeks,” explains the PHE.
The vaccinations require two doses to maximise the effectiveness of antibodies.
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“With most vaccines an extended interval between the prime and booster doses leads to a better immune response to the booster dose,” says the PHE.
According to the health body, there is evidence that a longer interval between the first and second doses promotes a stronger immune response with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“There is currently no strong evidence to expect that the immune response from the Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines differ substantially from each other,” it adds.
In light of the evidence, the Government is distributing the first dose to as many priority groups as possible to confer a greater level of immunity.
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The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has been shown to offer around 70 percent protection, whereas trials have shown the Pfizer/BioNTech jab to be 95 percent effective.
Who’ll be offered the coronavirus vaccines first?
The groups most at risk will be vaccinated first.
These are:
- Residents in a care home for older adults and their carers
- People aged 80 and over
- Frontline health and social care workers.
Vaccination for other groups will begin as soon as the supply of vaccines becomes available.
The order in which people will be offered the vaccine is based on advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
Who is most at risk?
According to the NHS, people aged 50 or over are most at risk, and the risk increases with age.
“Older adults living in care homes are at greater risk because large groups of especially vulnerable people are living together, in surroundings where the virus can spread quickly,” warns the health body.
As it explains, frontline healthcare and social care workers are also at risk as they may be exposed to infection.
JCVI advises the order of priority for the coronavirus vaccination is:
- Residents in a care home for older adults and their carers
- All those 80 years of age and over and frontline health and social care workers
- All those 75 years of age and over
- All those 70 years of age and over and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals
- All those 65 years of age and over
- All individuals aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality
- All those 60 years of age and over
- All those 55 years of age and over
- All those 50 years of age and over.
According to current public health guidance, you should not get the coronavirus vaccine if you’ve had a severe anaphylactic reaction to any of the ingredients in the vaccine or a previous dose of the vaccine.
This will affect very few people, but you will be able to ask any questions at your appointment.
For more information about who’ll be offered the coronavirus vaccine and its delivery, phone 0800 030 8013 (available 8.00am to 8.00pm, seven days a week).
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