Second vaccine appointment cancelled

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I work in healthcare. I was due to have my second Pfizer vaccine next week, but I've just been informed that it's been cancelled.
Now, I understand the bigger picture, it means more supplies. Therefore more people can get their first dose, but...
does this compromise the "winning formula" of the Pfizer? Ie two doses 21-28 days apart? Potentially rendering all the first dose Pfizer recipients useless if they don't receive it for a longer period...
plus, I have volunteered to be a vaccinator. One of the provisos of the role is that you need to have received both doses. This will either mean I cannot help out now until March, or they change the rules. Personally as high risk, I would be a little more hesitant volunteering...
Of course the great public health demand is more important, I'm just a bit concerned that this new approach to Pfizer is concerning...

I read something earlier than one GP surgery would now have to spend 193 hours cancelling and rebooking all the appointments due to having to phone to cancel them all!

This u-turn smells like more chaos to me

They haven't got the doses they said they would have.

That's ridiculous. It will cause so much confusion. Why are they doing this now that we have the oxford vaccine approved with plenty of doses available? Can we not do anything properly?

I read somewhere that we do not have the capacity to get the Oxford vaccine into the vials quickly...?

The UK has not shown itself to be a world leader in logistical planning during this pandemic.

if the second dose is later than 21 days, it doesn't make the first dose 'useless' as you will have mounted an immune response against it. The % chance of having 'full' immunity increases after the second dose - the 21 days thing was defining the minimum gap in between the prime and the booster for it to work.

I think it's important for healthcare workers to get both doses to maximise the benefits, but another week or two or three should be fine from an immunology point of view (frustrating though, I know)

I have another thread running about this in the case of my elderly mother who was due her 2nd jab on 9th Jan. We are her support bubble but not a safe one (both DH and I work in SEN schools). I had lots of responses and some really reassured me but then others have really worried me. I hope lots of elderly people don't start leaving their homes thinking they are covered and they are not!

A very simple explanation is that the first dose gives a high level of protection and the second provides a sustained level of protection

The rational is to prioritise twice the number of people have a high level of protection over a number of people having a high and sustained level of protection

@inquietant

I read somewhere that we do not have the capacity to get the Oxford vaccine into the vials quickly...?

The UK has not shown itself to be a world leader in logistical planning during this pandemic.

Sorry, what does this mean?

@TurkeyTrot It's upto 12 weeks though - not "another couple of weeks" and pfizer have said they do not advocate it too.

@ProbablyFault Vaccines are manufactured in bulk - this is first stage, then there is a production line process to fill the glass vials (which the injection liquid is taken from) and box them up

[quote Rosehip10]@TurkeyTrot It's upto 12 weeks though - not "another couple of weeks" and pfizer have said they do not advocate it too.[/quote]
From an immunology perspective it would be fine though. I get that all other aspects are not ideal.

It’s such a marketing approach. R&D develop what you ask for, then they launch something different because they decide that’s what the public want. Then they get upset with R&D because the actual launch doesn’t work (often conveniently forgetting that R&D told them that what they were actually launching wouldn’t work). I see it ALL THE TIME. It tends to result in R&D being blamed for being right and marketing being absolved for being wrong (I’m neither marketing nor R&D BTW).

My elderly mother, and several of her elderly neighbours, have had the first dose and now believe they are safe. No amount of me telling her that she needs to still be careful will sink in.

So they're now using the phizer jab in an unlicensed way that the people/staff they have already given it to didn't consent to? This should go well.

I will not be having the Pfizer vaccine if they’re not providing the second dose in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidelines. It’s a waste of time, even Pfizer themselves have said so. I’ll have the Oxford vaccine because that has been designed and approved with a 12 week gap between doses.

@Arcadia

That's ridiculous. It will cause so much confusion. Why are they doing this now that we have the oxford vaccine approved with plenty of doses available? Can we not do anything properly?

My guess is it’s because there isn’t that much vaccine ready to go, that they are facing shortfalls. I recall reading an article a few weeks back that stated AZ were quite behind in manufacturing the vaccine. They had 4-5 million doses made in Europe, but it wasn’t clear how much of that would come here.

The research says that the first dose gives a 52% level of protection and the second dose 95%.

So @LemonTT it's not just about sustaining - however people are certainly more safe, though as @BrokenCircle says, not completely. With many vaccines (though don't know about this one) even if you do get it after one dose it's also less likely to be severe, which is also helpful.

Hopefully soon they will have enough for second doses all round. www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4826

But there’s no evidence that you’ll still get 95% protection with a 12 week gap. It may be much less! Which is why the whole thing is so ridiculous.

From my understanding it looks like a desperate gamble. It may pay off and turn out to be a stroke of genius or it might back fire disastrously. Knowing our governments track record I know my prediction.

Regardless of whether it pays off or not it is morally and, IMO, legally highly dubious to be changing the regime to an in licensed one after consent has been given. I would not be surprised to see legal action if it goes wrong.

This has just happened to my neighbours (80 plus years old). They understand why but are so disappointed.

People saying they will refuse the Pfizer vaccine - you won't get a choice which one you get.

Are Government bodies just allowed to overrule the manufacturers instructions on this? Surely if it all goes wrong then Pfizer aren't going to give a shit as they are clear that they don't approve the 12 week gap for their vaccine.

Are Government bodies just allowed to overrule the manufacturers instructions on this?
Looks like it. It’s dangerous if you ask me. This is not how the vaccine has been tested or approved for use.

When I said disastrous I meant in terms of vaccine effectiveness on an individual level for hundreds of thousands of people. Not people being in danger from effects of the vaccine.

I think that if we didn’t have such a rise in cases, with the new infection, that they would have continued with the second dose when planned at 21 days.

Just read this. Looks as though GP surgeries are not happy

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/30/covid-19-second-stage-nhs-vaccinations-delayed-across-uk