Finance Minister Sajid Javid Said he was “confident” to start the coronavirus booster campaign next month, after reports that experts hope to have more time to consider whether they are needed.
National Health Service It is planned to launch a third dose of Covid-19 jabs along with the flu vaccine from September 6, but a formal decision has not yet been made.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) meets on Thursday and is expected to discuss the potential to provide a booster for people who may “really need” another injection.
Committee member Professor Adam Finn said that a decision is about to be made that those who are “very unlikely to be well protected by the first two doses of vaccine” will need a third dose.
But officials told the Palestinian Authority News Agency that there were no boosters discussed at the meeting, although they would not confirm what was discussed.
protector An unnamed source said that planning a booster does not mean it will happen.
They quoted the person as saying: “This will require more time and research. What we don’t want to do is make promises that will disappoint people.”
While visiting Carlisle to open a hospital, Mr. Javid told reporters: “We will have a booster program that will start sometime in September.
“I can’t tell you the exact time, because before we start, as people expect, we need to get final advice from our expert team, our independent scientific and medical consultants-JCVI.”
He added: “We are waiting for their final opinions. Considering everything and timing, I believe we can start in September, when we will start with the most vulnerable people and start providing the third stimulus.”
When asked about strengthening publicity activities, Professor Finn told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that there was “sufficient evidence” and the committee would “immediately decide that some people need a third dose, especially since we know it’s unlikely to need a third dose. People. Well protected by the first two doses.”
He added: “But I think we do need more evidence to make a firm decision on the broader booster program.”
His comments on wider promotion were echoed by another government consultant, Professor Peter Openshaw, who stated that further evidence is needed to prove any benefits that the booster might bring.
Professor Openshaw, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threat Advisory Group (Nervtag) that advises the government, also said that the high number of cases is “very worrying” and warned that “we really don’t know what will happen” because winter is approaching .
He told Time Radio: “I think we are all very worried about what will happen once we get back to normal.”
He added: “We will enter the winter, the infection rate in the community is very high, we just don’t know what will happen.”
The government said that as of Thursday, within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, another 113 people had died, and there were 36,572 laboratory-confirmed cases of the virus in the UK.
Professor Openshaw stated that he believes that the government is “unwilling” to resume the winter restrictions, and that this issue is one of the “increasing political polarization” because the parliamentary scene shows opposition lawmakers wearing masks and most opposition lawmakers There are obvious differences between. conservative Don’t do it.
Number of people who tested positive for Covid-19 UK After two weeks of declining numbers, they have risen.
The latest test and tracking statistics show that in the week ending August 11, 190,508 people tested positive for Covid-19 at least once, an increase of 6% from the previous week.
Preliminary studies have shown that compared to the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, the two doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine initially appeared to be more effective against the new Covid-19 infection associated with the Delta variant, but its effectiveness also declined faster.
These findings, which have not been peer-reviewed, also indicate that people infected with the Delta variant after the second injection have similar peak levels of the virus as unvaccinated people.
Professor Finn, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Bristol, said that the main conclusion drawn by Oxford University scientists from this study is that the protective effects of vaccines are “very good”, but they are not as successful in preventing transmission as they are. Wish.
Professor Finn said that it is “difficult to predict” whether the general promotion of the first and second doses will be extended to children aged 12 to 15, because children rarely contract the virus and this may be a “very marginal decision”. . They will benefit from vaccination.”
As for vaccinating children to protect vulnerable groups such as grandparents, he said this is “a tricky decision” because it is a “more comfortable” and “clear” way to vaccinate where people benefit from it.
