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Summary
- The UK government is presently administering two doses in a gap of 12 weeks apart so that more people can be vaccinated.
- The British Medical Association has suggested to cut this gap to six weeks.
- BMA intervention highlights the widespread concern of senior medical professionals.
Senior British doctors have called upon Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer, England, to cut down the gap between the first and second jab of the Pfizer-Biotech vaccine by half so that more people can be vaccinated.
While the recommended timeframe for scheduling the second dose is three weeks, the healthcare officials had extended it to 12 weeks so that they could deliver supplies to as many people as possible. While extending the gap, Professor Whitty had said that this would double the number of individuals receiving the vaccine shots.
(Image source: ©Kalkine Group 2021)
He had stressed that it was a public health call and would allow the vaccination programme to proceed faster to a larger number of people.
According to a letter seen by the BBC, the British Medical Association has asked the CMO for cutting this gap by half to six weeks, which is in line with the World Health Organisation recommendation. The global healthcare body had proposed a gap of four weeks, which could be increased to six weeks only in exceptional cases.
In fact, presently the UK government is administering the shots of both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines 12 weeks away from each other.
The BMA letter has highlighted that there is no international support for this approach, which is a real cause for concern. The medical union has emphasised that following this strategy could make the nation increasingly isolated in the world.
Further, the association said that that the second shots could not be guaranteed after such a long period, given the unpredictable supplies.
On the contrary, many health leaders including the CMO believe that the first jab gives the maximum protection and its fine to extend the gap if it allows more people to receive inoculation. Even so, the critics insist that there is no data to back up this belief and it is surely against the Pfizer’s advice of a three-week gap.
Besides, the union has pointed out that the relevant policies are not uniform across the nation. For instance, the Pfizer vaccine shots can be given to care home residents and staff across Northern Ireland withing a period of three weeks.
Another thing that was pointed out in the letter was the level of protection. The Israel's inoculation programme suggested lower level of protection than expected, said the letter. Moreover, there were concerns that the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine did not produce enough antibodies to lower the transmission rate.
Finally, BMA letter says that the doctors’ union wishes to talk to the CMO regarding the issue. It is yet to be seen how Professor Witty responds to the doctors’ worries. He might just restate his case or decide to change the course of the vaccination plan to incorporate the submissions.
