he government Has been urged to “continue” with the coronavirus booster program instead of waiting for advice from vaccine experts.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson It seems that the confirmation will begin this month, and that as autumn and winter approach, senior citizens are a priority.
However, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) has not yet provided recommendations on boosters.
The vice chairman of the committee, Professor Anthony Harden, said this week that it is “very likely” that there will be a booster plan, but a final decision has not yet been made.
He said the committee is awaiting the results of the Cov-Boost study, which is studying different vaccines to see what immune response they will produce and whether the jabs can be mixed and matched.
Former Minister of Health Jeremy Hunt The warning says that just a few days in a pandemic can make a “very different” because he urges politicians to move on instead of waiting for JCVI’s advice.
He said on the BBC Radio 4 Today program on Friday: “I understand why scientists spend time, but I think that in a pandemic, politicians can also read the room and see the direction of travel.
“I think Anthony Harden gave a very clear tip on your show yesterday… they might recommend boosters.
“In a pandemic, I think even a few days can make a big difference. So I think we should move on instead of waiting for that suggestion and move on with the plan.”
Professor Harnden said that there is “very complex modeling and data analysis” that is deciding who should get boosters and when, adding that experts don’t want to stab people prematurely, and then if new variants appear, they can’t do it again. this way.
On Thursday, Mr. Johnson said: “The priority now is for the older generation to enter the fall and winter. We have always said that in September-this month-there will be a booster plan, and we are continuing to push it forward.”
The pressure on deciding to stab children between the ages of 12 and 15 is increasing, and JCVI has not yet recommended this.
At the same time, an agreement with shared vaccine doses Australia The Ministry of Health and Social Care stated that this will enable the UK to better align the timing of vaccine supply with future needs, including any enhancement plans or expansion of the scope of promotion to young teenagers.
Four million doses Pfizer The department said that as part of the Covid-19 vaccine agreement, the UK will send JAB, and Australia agreed to return the same “total dose” by the end of the year.
Health Minister Sajid Javid said the agreement will “share doses at the best time to strengthen our two countries’ vaccination programs.”
He said: “Vaccines have built a strong line of defense in the UK. We hope to support countries around the world in recovering from Covid-19 and improve access to vaccines.
“Our agreement with Australia will share doses at the best time to strengthen vaccination programs in our two countries.
“By cooperating with international partners and coordinating the launch of life-saving vaccines, we will protect more people from this terrible virus and save lives.”
The first batch of 292,000 doses will be shipped to Australia soon.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the move at a press conference in Canberra on Friday. He said: “The plane is now on the tarmac. It will leave tomorrow.
“These doses will appear in the next few weeks, which will double our Pfizer dose in September.
“This means that from Downing Street to Australia, we will double Pfizer’s dose in Australia this month.”
According to data from the Australian Immunization Registry, Australia is one of the countries with the slowest introduction of vaccines among wealthy countries, with only 36.4% of people over the age of 16 being vaccinated.
The agreement with Australia comes as the UK announced that its latest batch of Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines has been delivered through the Covax program, which aims to ensure that the vaccine is available to poorer countries in the world.
The government stated that more than 9 million Covid-19 vaccines from the United Kingdom have now been sent to developing countries in Africa and Asia.
DHSC stated that the agreement with Australia is separate from the commitment to send 100 million vaccines overseas.
The latest government data shows that as of September 1, 72% of the UK’s total population had received a dose of the coronavirus vaccine.
According to separate data compiled by Our World in Data, this will put the UK behind countries such as the UAE, Spain and Ireland.
Elsewhere, data from the Department of Public Health England shows that the majority of Covid hospitalized patients are under the age of 50, and 73% of them are not vaccinated.
These figures are basically unchanged from the last release two weeks ago. It also shows that 64% of people under the age of 50 who have died from the new crown virus have not received a jab.
