The UK’s Covid-19 booster vaccine programme has been ramped up in a bid to control the surging Omicron variant.
People were given either Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer, or Moderna for their first two vaccinations – but the government previously announced that AstraZeneca will not be used as a booster jab.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has only recommended the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for the third jab.
But why is AstraZeneca not being used, and are you allowed a third dose if you didn’t receive Pfizer or Moderna?
Why is AstraZeneca not being used for Covid booster jabs?
According to the JCVI, the reason for AstraZeneca not being used as a booster is due to the fact that it is not an mRNA vaccine – unlike Pfizer and Moderna.
Professor Wei Shen Lim, chair of Covid-19 Immunisation for the JCVI said mRNA technologies provided ‘a very good immune boost’ in recent studies.
This is because mRNA technologies tell our bodies to reproduce the Covid-19 spike protein and break it down through a direct immune response.
Research by Pfizer that a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine is 95.6% more effective than two jabs, and Moderna has recorded similarly impressive results.
The study of 10,000 people found that those who received a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine almost a year after their first two ‘saw protection against symptomatic infection soar compared with those who had had just two doses’.
Also, there appears to be more scientific evidence available about the long-term efficacy of mRNA vaccines over other jabs.
The JCVI advised that the Pfizer vaccine be prioritised for booster vaccinations in the UK, with a half dose of Moderna available as an alternative, after the UK’s COV-BOOST trial found that the Pfizer vaccine produced the strongest booster response out of seven possible options.
The full JCVI guidance says: ‘The JCVI advises a preference for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for the booster programme, regardless of which vaccine brand someone received for their primary doses.
‘This follows data from the COV-BOOST trial that indicates the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is well tolerated as a third dose and provides a strong booster response.’
However, that isn’t to say that those who originally received the AstraZeneca jab are more at-risk from Covid-19 than others.
The vaccine is still viewed as incredibly effective, with a 63% efficacy against symptomatic Covid-19, according to the World Health Organisation.
It is just the way the vaccine works that makes it less suitable as a booster.
AstraZeneca works by telling the body to build spike proteins and build an immune response by using double-stranded DNA – rather than single-stranded RNA like Pfizer and Moderna.
Can I get a Pfizer or Moderna booster after having the AstraZeneca vaccine?
Yes, you will be able to have a different type of vaccine as your booster shot if your original was AstraZeneca.
The JCVI has recommended a ‘mix-and-match’ approach to the booster roll-out, meaning third vaccinations will not necessarily be the same as the first two.
People who received AstraZeneca will get either Pfizer or Moderna. This has been deemed both safe and effective.
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