Will under 50s get the vaccine?

[FairyAtTheBottomOfTheGarden]

This is the order of who will get the Covid-19 vaccine (according to BBC)

1. Residents in care homes for older adults and their carers
2. 80-year-olds and over and frontline health and social care workers
3. 75-year-olds and over
4. 70-year-olds and over and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals
5. 65-year-olds and over
6. 16 to 64-year-olds with serious underlying health conditions
7. 60-year-olds and over
8. 55-year-olds and over
9. 50-year-olds and over

But it doesn't say anything about under 50s with no underlying health conditions. I assume everyone WILL get it in time, won't we?

I doubt it

Would expect they will be made to wait until the next batch arrives?

No matter what schedule the government decide on, there will be some who miss out, or seem to be unfairly shunted down the order. I am no fan of the clown show we call our cabinet, but they've got this broadly right. Age is the biggest factor in mortality rates, so should be the driver of the vaccination program. shrug

I think it won't be offered to under 50s with no health issues for free, we will have to buy it like the regular flu vaccine.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/priority-groups-for-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-advice-from-the-jcvi-2-december-2020/priority-groups-for-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-advice-from-the-jcvi-2-december-2020

The next phase – further reduction in hospitalisation and targeted vaccination of those at high risk of exposure and/or those delivering key public services
As the first phase of the programme is rolled out in the UK, additional data will become available on the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. These data will provide the basis for consideration of vaccination in groups that are at lower risk of mortality from COVID-19.

The committee is currently of the view that the key focus for the second phase of vaccination could be on further preventing hospitalisation.

Vaccination of those at increased risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 due to their occupation could also be a priority in the next phase. This could include:

first responders
the military
those involved in the justice system
teachers
transport workers
public servants essential to the pandemic response.
Priority occupations for vaccination are considered an issue of policy, rather than for JCVI to advise on. JCVI asks that DHSC consider occupational vaccination in collaboration with other government departments.

Wider use of COVID-19 vaccines will provide a better understanding of whether they can prevent infection and onward transmission in the population. Data on vaccine impact on transmission, along with data on vaccine safety and effectiveness, will potentially allow for consideration of vaccination across the rest of the population.

As trials in children and pregnant women are completed, we will also gain a better understanding of the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines in these persons.

There are enough Oxford jabs earmarked to sink a battleship. I think that list just gives an order of operation for the those most likely to be hospitalised or die if they catch covid.

I hope it will be. The above is taken from JCVI. Under 50s will be part of phase 2 but phase 2 hasn't been decided on. They may roll it out based on occupation or it could be >45s, >40s, >35s etc.
I think they will, once they have enough vaccine, roll it out to all who want it. With the Oxford vaccine efficacy being ~50-70% depending on if you include asymptomatic cases etc and with so many people saying they don't want the vaccine I think they will need to vaccinate anyone who wants it to get the R number low enough.

Eventually, but it doesn't look like the UK has secured any more than the first 800,000 doses.

Probably eventually.

Yes, under 50s will be receiving the vaccine.

I read that 16-49 year olds were bottom of the list, but if you think about it, once all the others have been vaccinated then the 16-49’s will be pretty safe. The virus will have nowhere to go to spread if the rest of the population is vaccinated already.

I was wondering this. I seem to remember Matt Hancock saying once everyone in phase 1 is done it should eliminate 99% of deaths. If we reach that point would they really vaccinate the under 50s?
Also on the issue of there being countries that haven’t been able to secure anywhere near enough vaccine doses for their vulnerable patients, would we use all our doses on healthy low risk patients just because they’re ours so we’ll use them, or would there be international pressure to share?

Yes. The government have bought more than enough doses (mainly the Oxford vaccine, others ones that are not yet approved). It will take a while, but their game plan is clearly vaccination-based herd immunity and to get that they will need to vaccinate as many people as possible.

I don’t think they will vaccinate healthy under 50’s, unless at higher risk because of occupation etc. I also think @Fleshlumpeater raises a good moral point, is it right for us to use millions of vaccinations on healthy people when other countries may struggle to get enough to vaccinate their vulnerable people?

I absolutely think they'll make it available to those under 50.

Yes, you'll get it, we have 100 million AZ doses, on top of the PB & 5 others.

It will take a while, but 18-50 year olds will get vaccinated & over time I expect the AZ one to be cleared for 13-18 year olds.

We (& other countries) have put money into providing vaccines for less well off countries.
Using the vaccines we have ordered for the UK also helps to make people around the worlds safer too, as well as, critically, making people here that can't have the vaccines safer too!

Matt Hancock promised that every single adult would be offered the vaccine. So that’s everyone above 18. Won’t be straight away as they need to prioritise obviously

Also the U.K. has secured more than enough vaccines just need the others to be approved soon

They clearly haven’t decided. It will depend on overall supply and whether the various vaccines have any impact on transmission.

My gut instinct is not any time in 2021. We are already seeing manufacturing processes being badly delayed. Oxford will only have 4 million doses available in the U.K. before year end as opposed to the 30 million originally promised:

www.ft.com/content/651be7e7-2a4e-410f-8089-b4b7e887f6e8

I think the vaccine makers are going to struggle to manufacture enough to cover the vulnerable next year and then there is the thorny issue of the vaccines potentially wearing off and the vulnerable needing to be vaccinated again.

Why should under-50s get a vaccine without any long term trials when they have over a 99% chance of survival?

Of course healthy under 50s will get the vaccine eventually. You only have to look at the numbers of doses the government has bought to be able to see that. They'll also be aware that whilst death rates are lower in this age group, it's also comprised of a lot of working people and they cannot let covid rip through that population because of the economic impact, not to mention long covid. Also, Pfizer plan to test their vaccine in the under-16 age group.

They have indicated in press conferences yes under 50's are likely to be offered the vaccine but the order is yet to be determined, they hinted occupations are likely to be considered plus who you live with eg if you live with over 50's or drive buses you are higher priority than a person working from home alone

There's a paywall for that but here is the same story in the Irish Times

www.irishtimes.com/business/health-pharma/supply-of-covid-vaccine-doses-held-up-by-manufacturing-delays-1.4430676

On reading it, it looks like they have already found a workaround for the AstraZeneca vaccine by manufacturing in the Netherlands and Germany.

@Userzzz

Why should under-50s get a vaccine without any long term trials when they have over a 99% chance of survival?

• because nobody knows the long term effects of covid - it's not just about survival but there's the chance of lasting damage to a person's heart or lungs as well
• because this includes a lot of working-age people and mass sickness could have devastating economic effects
• because for some people, 'survival' still means a lengthy stay in hospital and a long recovery period after that
• because some of them, especially in the 40+ group, may have undiagnosed conditions like hypertension and diabetes that may put them at a higher risk without them realising it
• because some of them might be carers for elderly relatives

....tell me, why shouldn't they (we) get it?

tell me, why shouldn't they (we) get it?

We should.

But we should also honour COVAX - a global mechanism to inhibit how much of the world supply that the rich can buy up before every country has immunised its most vulnerable 20%

Userzzz a 99% chance of survival isn’t really that great. 1 in 100 dying. At most academies that would be about 10 or 20 parents dying (if they all caught it).

Also someone else said it won’t spread easily once so many are vaccinated. we don’t know if the vaccine will help with spread and herd immunity as we don’t know if people can still be infectious but show no symptoms after they are vaccinated. All the results have shown is that severe illness is protected against.

I don't see how they can create a vaccine card that gives access to international travel, concerts and pubs and restaurants without making the vaccine available to all. But I don't imagine it will be quick.