UK vaccination thread started 1st May 2021

[Bordois]

As of Friday 30th April

34.3m first jabs
14.9m second jabs

have been given in the UK. This means that 65% of all adults have some level of protection and 28% are fully vaccinated.

Additionally evidence is currently suggesting that the vaccines are effective against the Brazilian and Indian variants 🥳

Only 76,000 1st doses yesterday. I can’t wait to get to the last line of the block chart for 1st doses, but it will take us a while at this rate!

It does seem that vaccinations are dropping off. I don't however think it can be due to supply. Certainly locally all our centres, NHS and GP are now no appointment needed drop in sessions. They split the week by day, offering Pfizer on one day, and AZ on another. Their only "rules" are AZ for over 40's, Pfizer for under 40's and an 8 week delay for second doses. So they are really hoping to catch all and everyone with or without appointments.

Perhaps we've vaccinated almost everyone who wants one now and we won't get as high as we'd hoped with the final numbers? I was hoping for 95% 1st doses but that may have been a little optimistic.

Maryland US approach for those who haven't been jabbed yet.

It is the distribution of vaccine take up which worries me. Much of London is just 50% 1 dose and in the 30s for 2 doses. The Telegraph is saying that 1 dose offers just 10% protection. Not great for going into the third wave.
covid.joinzoe.com/data#vaccinations

Much of London is just 50% 1 dose and in the 30s for 2 doses.

Any idea what the reasons are for this, it’s pretty poor?!

"The Telegraph is saying that 1 dose offers just 10% protection."

If you read the study to which this refers you find that they only studied antibody response, using serum samples. In reality the human immune system has a whole lot of other weapons against infection, not just antibodies.

As they found that 4 weeks after the second jab "81-100% (Pfizer) and 95-100% (AZ) neutralized any of the 4 strains", it might be a good idea to have both doses.

Much of London is just 50% 1 dose and in the 30s for 2 doses.

Any idea what the reasons are for this, it’s pretty poor?!

www.standard.co.uk/news/london/six-million-covid-vaccines-boris-johnson-lockdown-easing-targets-b940668.html
The main reasons for London’s lower vaccination levels are hesitancy among older members of Bame communities, and the fact that the capital boasts a younger population, which has lower priority for jabs. The average age in London is 35.6 compared with the UK average of 40.3.

...
London health officials are understood to have requested 367,000 extra Pfizer and Moderna doses — which can be safely given to younger age groups — on top of existing supplies.

www.mylondon.news/news/health/london-covid-vaccines-jab-drive-20916798

The Mayor also suggested that many residents could be less likely to be registered with a local GP so might not have been notified about appointments.

Though I listen to a program discussing staff shortages and there were hopsitality companies there saying the younger population wasn't there - they'd gone home - either abroad or home to parents else where in the country - though not sure if vast numbers are just else where in UK or were till recently.

Hello, q about batches.

I seem to have lost my card 😭 I think it was when I was exhausted after spending a night in a and e with my son a couple of weeks ago.

Was going to check the batch number. It's not recorded on my patient record or "Covid pass" online thingy (you get given a q r code, very slick!)

Would they contact you if you had a particularly problematic batch?

The numbers are really low compared with a few weeks ago. If that is not down to supply then why on earth won't they let people get second dose before 8 weeks. I think they are in London but not where I am and my DC and nieces and nephews all in their 20s are desperate to get fully protected.
I know the AZ is more efficient from a longer dose of 8 to 12 weeks but I thought Pfizer gave good immunity after 3 weeks. The more people double jabbed before 19th the better and if they've hit a wall with hesitancy then free up the jabs for those who want them.

I just feel for all those young people who have waited so long for their turn.

@WarriorN

Hello, q about batches.

I seem to have lost my card 😭 I think it was when I was exhausted after spending a night in a and e with my son a couple of weeks ago.

Was going to check the batch number. It's not recorded on my patient record or "Covid pass" online thingy (you get given a q r code, very slick!)

Would they contact you if you had a particularly problematic batch?

There are no problematic batches afaik. Just that some AZ were made in India and the EU hasn't yet recognised them. They are the same vaccine. You can only identify them by the number and they were given out mainly in March.

Fab, thanks for the clarification.

Still annoyed as I was going to participate in a research thing and they wanted the batch numbers 🙄 hey ho.

@WarriorN - if you click down, you should be able to identify them. The EU won't lock out half the world who are using Serum Institute, and it'll get approved anyway because it's the same vaccine.
Here's mine, just scroll down from the QR code on the travel pass and you see Batch.

It shows the batch number I had on my app? Is it left blank on your app or is it not even showing at all?

Mines like MRex's

Except that you did a fancy fade-out of your centre details; how do you do that? I always have to crop.

I used a white pen effect on my phones photo editor thingy 😅

@MikeHat

The numbers are really low compared with a few weeks ago. If that is not down to supply then why on earth won't they let people get second dose before 8 weeks. I think they are in London but not where I am and my DC and nieces and nephews all in their 20s are desperate to get fully protected. I know the AZ is more efficient from a longer dose of 8 to 12 weeks but I thought Pfizer gave good immunity after 3 weeks. The more people double jabbed before 19th the better and if they've hit a wall with hesitancy then free up the jabs for those who want them.

I just feel for all those young people who have waited so long for their turn.

An extended interval between the first and second dose of Vaxzevria of up to 45 weeks, resulted in up to an 18 fold increase in antibody response, measured 28 days after the second dose. With a 45 week dosing interval between the first and second dose, antibody titres were four times higher than with a 12 week interval, demonstrating that a longer dosing interval is not detrimental but can derive stronger immunity

45 weeks!

@BigWoollyJumpers Yes I saw that about AZ, could be useful for a long term strategy of boosters.

Thanks @Bordois

Interesting about the AZ gap. Does anyone have the source - I'd like to have a good nosey at it.

I know that AZ was tested with various intervals between the two doses but does anyone know if Pfizer was as well, or was it always just the shorter gap and the UK went out on a limb to get at least one dose to more people? And if so, have there been any studies on how that affected efficacy, if at all?

Thanks, @randomlyLostInWales. The London age skew makes more sense - the BAME elders I’ve spoken to recently (I’m quite chatty but sample may not be fully representative ) have seemed pretty jab happy.

@amicissimma

Interesting about the AZ gap. Does anyone have the source - I'd like to have a good nosey at it.

I know that AZ was tested with various intervals between the two doses but does anyone know if Pfizer was as well, or was it always just the shorter gap and the UK went out on a limb to get at least one dose to more people? And if so, have there been any studies on how that affected efficacy, if at all?

www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/longer-gap-between-covid-19-vaccine-doses-may-increase-immune-response#Effects-of-a-booster-dose

www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2021/vaxzevria-induced-immunity-for-at-least-1-year-following-a-single-dose-and-strong-immune-responses-following-either-a-late-second-dose-or-a-third-dose.html

From what I can see, and from talking to DD who is immunologist, it is pretty standard for all vaccines to produce better responses with longer intervals, as that is how the immune system works, so actually no surprise. Why the manufacturers chose short intervals for their trials, was probably (I don't know, but wonder) due to the limited time they had for trials ie: they couldn't wait to see what a 12 week, or 6 month delay would do, and only now in our real world trials, which essentially we are all part of, have these intervals been shown to be more effective.

Probably/possibly why all the noise about boosters too.

@amicissimma

Interesting about the AZ gap. Does anyone have the source - I'd like to have a good nosey at it.

I know that AZ was tested with various intervals between the two doses but does anyone know if Pfizer was as well, or was it always just the shorter gap and the UK went out on a limb to get at least one dose to more people? And if so, have there been any studies on how that affected efficacy, if at all?

Pfizer there was no testing, this was the opinions given at the time: www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n18. Basically - immunologists and MHRA/ JCVI said yes, most others said no.