LONDON (AP) – A large British medical group says the UK government is deciding to give a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to people a second dose up to 12 weeks after the first dose, rather than the shorter gap provided by the manufacturer and the World Health Organization.
The UK, which has Europe’s deadliest outbreak of coronavirus, has adopted a policy of giving as many people as possible a first dose of vaccination as soon as possible. To date, nearly 5.5 million people have been shot by either a vaccine made by US drugmaker Pfizer and German BioNTech, or one developed by UK-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford.
AstraZeneca said it believes a first dose of its vaccine provides protection after twelve weeks, but Pfizer says it has not tested the effectiveness of its vaccine after such a long gap.
The British Medical Association on Saturday called on a serious medical chief from England to “urgently review the British position of second doses after twelve weeks.”
In a statement, the association said there was a growing concern from the medical profession about the delay in the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine because Britain’s strategy was increasingly isolated from many other countries. ‘
“No other country has adopted the UK approach,” said Dr. Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the BMA council, told the BBC.
He said the WHO had recommended that the second Pfizer vaccine shot be given up to six weeks after the first, but only “in exceptional circumstances”.
“I do understand the compromise and the rationale, but if it was the right thing to do, we would see other nations follow it,” Nagpaul said.
Yvonne Doyle, medical director of Public Health England, defends the decision as a reasonable scientific balance based on both the offer and also the protection of most people. ‘
Researchers in Britain have started collecting blood samples from newly vaccinated people to examine how many antibodies they produce at different intervals, from 3 weeks to 24 months, to get an answer on the timing that is best for the shots.
The doctors’ concern came a day after government medical advisers said there was evidence that a new variant of the virus, first identified in south-east England, posed a greater risk of death than the original strain.
Patrick Vallance, chief scientific adviser, said Friday that there is evidence that there is an increased risk for those who have the new variant, which is also more transmissible than the original virus. He said the new strain could be about 30% more deadly, but stressed that “the evidence is not yet strong” and that more research is needed.
Research by British scientists advising the government said although initial analyzes suggest the strain does not cause serious illness, it does indicate several recent investigations. However, the number of deaths is relatively small, and the mortality rates are affected by many things, including the care patients receive and their age and health, in addition to COVID-19.
Britain recorded 95,981 deaths among people who tested positive, the highest confirmed number of viruses in Europe.
The UK is in a trap to try to slow down the latest rise of the virus, and the government says an end to the restrictions will not come soon. Bars, restaurants, gyms, entertainment venues and many shops are closed, and people are expected to stay largely at home.
The British government is considering tightening quarantine requirements for people arriving from abroad. Travelers already have to isolate themselves for ten days, but enforcement is volatile. Authorities are considering applying to stay in quarantine hotels, a practice practiced in other countries, including Australia.
“We may have to go further to protect our borders,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Friday.
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