The British government has accepted the advice from the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to revaccinate priority groups in a move to ensure protection of the most vulnerable from COVID-19 during the winter, the UK Department of Health and Social Care said on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th September, 2021) The British government has accepted the advice from the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to revaccinate priority groups in a move to ensure protection of the most vulnerable from COVID-19 during the winter, the UK Department of Health and Social Care said on Tuesday.
Millions of older and more vulnerable people will be offered a COVID-19 booster vaccine starting next week, according to the broad-based COVID-19 vaccine booster program, a press release said.
"It's vital that we do everything we can to prolong the protection our vaccines offer, particularly for those most vulnerable to COVID-19 as we head into the autumn and winter months. I have today accepted the advice from the independent experts at the JCVI to offer a booster vaccine to those most at risk," Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said as cited in the press release.
The priority groups will be offered either a full dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine or half a dose of the Moderna vaccine, regardless of which vaccine they previously had. The JCVI's recommendation is based on scientific evidence showing that both types of doses provide a strong immune response, according to the press release.
On Monday, the British government announced that people aged 12 to 15 would be offered one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine beginning next week.
Over 44 million people in the United Kingdom have received two doses (81.2% of the adult population) and over 48 million people have received at least one dose (89.2% of the adult population), according to the health department's official data.
