Covid booster jabs are likely to be offered to all adults eventually, with the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation already considering the issue, the health secretary has suggested.
Sajid Javid urged people aged 40 to 49 to come forward for their third dose of vaccine from Monday, as the offer of a booster is extended to them.
“If it makes sense to go further, we will. The latest data shows that the boosters are immensely effective,” he told BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show, stressing that he would follow JCVI advice.
The UK reported 40,004 new cases of Covid on Sunday and 61 deaths within 28 days of a positive test. Just over 450,000 booster jabs were administered, meaning there have been 15m third doses delivered.
Publishing its latest recommendation for 40- to 49-year-olds to be asked to come forward for a third jab, the JCVI said last week that “future considerations include the need for booster vaccination [third dose] for 18- to 39-year-olds who are not in an at-risk group, and whether additional booster vaccination [fourth dose] for more vulnerable adult groups may be required.” It said it would provide further advice in due course.
Apparently referring to that statement, Javid told Times Radio: “They’ve actually said in their recent advice that’s something they would want to do in any case, to 18 and above.”
The JCVI had previously recommended that over-50s and those with health conditions that make them vulnerable to the virus be given a third dose.
Government sources suggested a fresh recommendation for younger adults could come within weeks. It follows research published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) last week indicating that a third dose provides very strong protection.
The UKHSA study suggested that protection against symptomatic infection for the over-50s was 93.1% for the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and 94.0% for the Pfizer/BioNTech jab two weeks after a third dose of the vaccine.
There are hopes in government that successful delivery of a booster programme – which has accelerated in recent weeks after a slow start – will help prevent the need for tougher restrictions over winter.
It is understood ministers have been advised that with cases increasing sharply in mainland Europe, there are two possible scenarios in the coming weeks, one of which involves a sharp increase in hospitalisations and deaths and the reintroduction of restrictions. The other would be the UK benefiting from the higher immunity that has built up since the summer reopening to avoid a devastating fourth wave.
It is expected to be several weeks before it is clear which course the virus is taking.
Prof Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, told The Andrew Marr Show that he was hopeful about the prospects for the coming weeks, partly because the virus had been circulating more freely in the UK already.
“If we look at what’s happening in other countries at the moment, they’re just experiencing the start of another wave of spread of infection,” he said.
“And the reason why the virus spreads is a combination of changes in social distancing – whether that’s lockdown measures or mask wearing – plus the immunity in the population.
“We’ve actually had some spread going on since the summer, and so I think it’s unlikely that we’re going to see the very sharp rise in the next few months that’s just been seen [in continental Europe] – we’re already ahead of that with this particular virus, the Delta variant.”
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Asked about the tougher restrictions being imposed in some countries, Javid acknowledged that the winter period was likely to be difficult, but said the government would stick to its “plan A” of increasing booster jabs.
“We have long warned that this horrid virus likes the winter, and likes the cold, dark days that that brings, but the one big difference here is our booster programme,” he said, pointing to the fact that 15m booster doses had so far been delivered. “That is absolutely key for us to keep this virus at bay.”
He called on people to accept the invitation to have a third dose “because that’s the best way we can look forward to the kind of Christmas that we all want to see”.
The government embarked on an advertising blitz last month amid fears the booster programme had got off to a slow start.
The government’s plan A for tackling the virus in England, published in its autumn and winter plan, also involves reminding the public to stick to advice on mask-wearing and ventilation.
Its plan B – which could be implemented if hospital capacity comes under unsustainable pressure – includes reintroducing mandatory mask-wearing, working from home guidance and vaccine passports for large venues.
Boris Johnson initially announced in July that the government would make vaccine passports mandatory for venues including nightclubs, but the government abandoned the plan after vociferous objections from Conservative MPs. Scotland and Wales have introduced vaccine passports.
