The first phase of mass vaccinations for the coronavirus have occurred, being scheduled at vaccination centres in local areas for the current groups of eligibility.
Phase 1 covered the priority groups such as older care home residents as well as care home workers, health and social care workers, clinically extremely vulnerable people, and began with those aged 70 and over but has recently progressed to over 50s as more vaccinations have been carried out.
Currently the vaccines which are authorised and recommended to prevent Covid-19 include the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.
The Covid-19 Vaccine BNT162b2, of which the manufacturers are Pfizer and BioNTech, is an mRNA vaccine which works similarly to a viral vector vaccine. These are meant to induce the body’s cells to produce the vaccine antigens and then generate an immune response. The vaccine requires 2 shots, given 21 days apart, and given in the muscle area of the upper arm.
The Oxford University vaccine acts as a viral vector vaccine which works by injecting the body with a genetically altered common cold virus (also called an adenovirus) which has been lab-modified so as not to be able to replicate within humans. However, they are able to create the protein spikes that can be found on the coronavirus and prompts the body’s white blood cells to attack it, and the immune system would then be able to recognise and fight if affected by the real coronavirus.
Having been given the Pfizer jab a week ago, Gita Karmacharya comments on the after-effects being ‘sore for a couple days but then felt normal and without pain. There were no sudden side-effects for me personally but some I knew said there were “chills”. It felt like any other vaccine.’
Both approved vaccines require 2 doses of the shots in order to provide the best form of protection against Covid-19. While the difference in time between the two shots were initially three to four weeks, the time period has been extended to eight to twelve weeks in order for the rollout to occur more quickly and progressively in the UK.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) says the next people to be offered the jab for the second phase of the rollout, approximately from mid-April or the beginning of May, would be, in descending order:
Aged 40-49 years
Aged 30-39 years
Aged 18-29 years
The main aim is for everyone aged 18 or over in the UK to be vaccinated by one dose by the end of July and once the priority group have been covered, it will progress to people in terms of age, rather than profession.
