Medics are calling for the UK’s vaccine interval to be halved amid concerns that care home residents are dying before they receive their second jab.
The Government’s current policy, signed off by Boris Johnson, means patients receive their second dose of the vaccine up to 12 weeks after the first. This allows the initial jab to reach as many people as possible, Professor Chris Whitty said.
But social care chiefs are now warning that ‘dozens’ of care home residents are dying with the virus before they’re able to receive their second vaccine, Sunday People reports.
One source told the publication: ‘Until we get to the bottom of what percentage of immunity we truly get on average, we’re gambling.’
The number of care home deaths linked to Covid in the last week was the highest recorded since May. Some of the deaths had received the first Covid jab in December and were waiting on their second dose.
It comes as the British Medical Association (BMA) called for the vaccine interval to be changed to six weeks, stating that the 12-week gap was becoming ‘difficult to justify’.
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, the association’s council chairman said: ‘Most nations in the world are facing challenges similar to the UK in having limited vaccine supply and also wanting to protect their population maximally. But no other nation adopted the UK’s approach.’
He also told the BBC: ‘Obviously the protection will not vanish after six weeks, but what we do not know is what level of protection will be offered [after that point]. We should not be extrapolating data when we don’t have it.’
Fears that a new, more infectious, strain of the virus may also be more deadly has also pressure on Johnson to close the interval between the two doses.
Scientists estimate the new Covid variant can be up to 70% more contagious, and up to 30% more deadly.
Sir Patrick Vallance stated that if 1,000 men in their 60s were infected with the old variant, roughly 10 of them would be expected to die, but with the new strain this could rise to 13.
A spokesperson for the Department for Health said: ‘The decision to change vaccine dosage intervals followed a thorough review of the data and was in line with recommendations of the UK’s four Chief Medical Officers as both vaccines provide a high degree of protection after the first dose.
‘Protection after dose one takes up to three weeks to kick in and the impact on transmission is not yet known so it’s vital people continue to take precautions.’
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source https://metro.co.uk/2021/01/24/dozens-of-care-home-residents-died-with-covid-after-first-jab-13956611/