UK orders 60m additional dose of Pfizer vaccine for fall “booster”

The UK purchased an additional dose of 60m of BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine in preparation for a “booster” campaign for the most vulnerable people in the fall.

Interest in delivering booster shots later this year About new variants of the UK, At least one of them shows some signs that the immunity given by the vaccine and previous infections can be circumvented.

“Our vaccination program is regaining our freedom, but the greatest risk to its progress is the risk posed by new variants,” said Matt Hancock, secretary of health and social welfare. It was. “We are working on a booster shot plan. This is the best way to keep us safe and free while controlling the disease around the world.”

News of Pfizer’s new dose purchase after Dr. Mary Ramsey, head of public health services vaccination, gave MP on Wednesday evidence suggesting that immunity to Covid-19 is slowing down. Has arrived. After vaccination than previously thought.

According to Ramsey, this suggests that some of the annual booster shots may be delayed and others may not be needed at all.

“We’re thinking, we’re assuming, and I think we can show that they’re potentially extending protection for months, if not years. The best time to boost. It can be hard to decide, but it doesn’t make sense to boost if it’s already protected, “she said.

Early modeling of the immune period after vaccination was based on influenza jabs. Influenza jabs do not provide such a high level of protection and need to be replenished annually, Ramsey added.

“If a new variant emerges and the current vaccine doesn’t work, that will be our greatest boost pressure,” she said.

Earlier this month, Pfizer announced that jab-induced antibodies would last for at least six months, even against some of the more worrisome mutants.Another study conducted by U.S. researchers found that the immunity provided by the Moderna vaccine persisted. Similar period..

Although data beyond that period are limited (because vaccines have been widely used for only five months), most experts believe that jabs are likely to provide protection for quite some time.

T cells, which can “remember” past infections and kill pathogens in the event of a recurrence, are thought to have a significant impact on how long people continue to resist infections and illnesses. Some scientists believe that they can provide at least some protection for up to two years after being infected with Covid-19.

The UK Government has released details of its most vulnerable “soon” fall booster program, with final policy informed by advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) and clinical trial results. Said. We are studying the use of different combinations of approved Covid-19 vaccines.

In response to a question from Congress’s Science and Technology Selection Committee, Ramsey said the vaccine is likely to save more than 70,000 lives in the UK.Modeling suggests that they at least prevented 10,400 people died..

About 1 in 100,000 people are at risk of developing a rare thrombotic reaction after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine, says Sir Munir Pilmohamed of the Human Medical Commission, who advises the British government on the safety of the vaccine. I told the meeting.

He said that age is the only risk factor for blood clotting identified so far, and that young people show a “higher risk” of rare side effects, which is fatal in about one-fifth of cases. I added.

However, he suggests that in India, only two platelet-poor thrombi have been identified after 100 m of AstraZeneca vaccine, and genetic risk factors may also be involved. ..

Work is underway to test whether giving a weight loss of the AstraZeneca vaccine reduces the likelihood of a coagulation reaction, Pilmohamed added.

“As a pharmacologist, I firmly believe in the’dose-response curve’, so it’s important to look at it,” he said. “Further research is being done to understand the dose-response relationship in terms of the efficacy and safety of the vaccine.”