The boosted coronavirus vaccination campaign in Britain is set to extend to people aged 40 to 49, officials said today in a bid to boost the population’s declining immunity ahead of the colder winter months.
At present, all citizens over the age of 50, belonging to vulnerable groups and first-line health workers, have the right to a booster dose, and the Joint Vaccination and Immunization Committee has announced that vaccinations will be extended further.
The recommendation comes as the UK Health and Safety Service released data from a real-world data-based study which found that the booster dose provided more than 90% protection against symptomatic COVID-19 in people over the age of 50. .
“Boosting doses of the vaccine in more vulnerable adults and the second dose in 16-17 year olds are important ways to increase protection against coronavirus infection and serious illness,” said Wei Sen Lim, president of the Office responsible for COVID-19 vaccinations.
“These vaccinations will also help extend our protection to 2022,” he said.
Britain mainly uses the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for the booster dose, which it gives to vaccinated people six months after the second dose.
Real-world research has shown that protection against symptomatic disease after a booster dose was 93.1% for those initially vaccinated with AstraZeneca and 94% for those with Pfizer.
The Joint Vaccination and Immunization Committee added that the protection provided by the booster dose against serious illness is expected to be higher.
However, the Commission refused to propose a booster dose for people under the age of 40 on the grounds that it had not found any conclusive evidence of a reduction in protection against severe COVID-19 after the initial doses of the vaccine in this age group.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson relies on the booster dose and vaccination of children to increase the resilience of hospitals during the winter months without having to resort to a new lockdown.
The Commission also announced that all adolescents aged 16-17 would be asked to take the second dose, whereas initially they were only asked to take one dose unless they were suffering from an underlying disease.
SOURCE: AMPE
.
Source From: Capital
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
