A pharmacist is diluting the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as it prepares to be administered to staff and residents at Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads, an elderly community in Falls Church, Virginia, on December 30, 2020.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
LONDON – Health experts have conditionally supported the UK’s decision to delay the administration of a second dose of coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, warning that the need to suppress the new coronavirus strain cannot be overstated.
It comes shortly after Britain said the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech jab, in addition to the newly approved Covid-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, will now be given up to 12 weeks after the first dose.
The National Health Service had previously planned to administer a second dose of Covid-19 vaccine three weeks after the first, in order to have confidence in maintaining a high level of protection against the virus.
The UK’s Independent Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE) said in a statement on Sunday that it was a “very difficult and well-balanced decision”, but endorsed the British government’s move to cover as much population as possible. .
However, he said the policy change must be accompanied by a few other measures. These included: the publication of a detailed and convincing strategy to expand vaccination launches, the development of a rigorous assessment process, a real-time assessment of ongoing viral variation and the need to restrict movement to and from the UK to the rest of the world.
SAGE is made up of health experts and academics and is co-chaired by the British Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser and Chief Medical Officer.
Meghana Pandit, chief physician at Oxford University NHS Trust, right, speaks with 88-year-old Trevor Cowlett, before him receiving the AstraZeneca Plc vaccine and Oxford University Covid-19 at Churchill Hospital in Oxford, UK, Monday, January 4, 2021 UK regulators eliminated the blow last week, marking the first worldwide approval.
Steve Parsons | PA Wire | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The comments come despite the British Medical Association criticizing Britain’s decision to delay the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. She described the move as “extremely unfair” to thousands of at-risk patients in England.
“The BMA believes that the existing commitment of these patients by the NHS and local clinicians should be respected. If GPs decide to honor these reserved appointments in January, the BMA will support them,” said Dr Richard Vautre, chair of the BMA GP committee. . said in a December 31 statement.
In response to these concerns, the SAGE committee stated: “Under normal circumstances, we would argue for the continuation of previous plans to administer two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine 21 days apart. However, these are not normal circumstances and there are other important public health considerations. “
The German Ministry of Health on Monday sought the advice of an independent vaccination commission on the follow-up to the UK.
A ministry spokesman confirmed to CNBC that the German government had asked the Standing Committee on Vaccination at the Robert Koch Institute if the country should postpone a second shot of the Pfizer vaccine. “Such a decision needs scientific consideration,” they added.
“Tough” measures needed
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday that the government could soon announce stricter public health measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Johnson said the “tough” measures could be in place in the coming weeks. Currently, more than three quarters of the UK population is at level 4 – the highest level of restrictions.
The opposition Labor Party said the government must impose a national blockade within 24 hours, warning that the virus was “clearly out of control”.
The United Kingdom registered more than 50,000 new infections confirmed by Covid-19 on Sunday for the sixth day in a row. The country continues to fight a new strain of virus that is spreading faster.
To date, the UK has reported more than 2.6 million cases of coronavirus, with 75,137 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
“It is now clear that the new variant of the virus, which appears to have appeared in the south-east of England, is much more transmissible than the previous variants, by 40-80%,” SAGE said in a statement on 3 January.
“It is also clear that the current Level 4 restrictions cannot limit their spread, even with the closure of schools and universities.”
“The pandemic is now out of control and the NHS is fighting, with some hospitals having to stop non-COVID activities. The NHS is no longer protected. For these reasons, there is a strong argument for maximizing population coverage with at least one dose of vaccine, even if this requires a change in the dosing schedule, “the group added.