NEW JAB POLICY WILL SAVE MANY LIVES

As f irst boxes of new Oxford vaccine arrive in Scotland, one of the UK’s top medical chiefs assures the nation...

THE scientist leading Britain’s coronavirus vaccination programme has defended the decision to extend the gap between the two doses, insisting it is ‘the way we save most lives’.

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam says the aim of waiting 12 weeks between jabs, rather than the original three, is to protect those most at risk of dying from Covid-19.

He said that the focus must be ‘to deliver first vaccine doses to as many people... in the shortest possible timeframe’.

As the first supplies of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine arrived yesterday in Scotland, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer – who

has become the trusted face of Downing Street press conferences – predicted that ‘tens of millions of doses’ will have been injected into arms by the end of March.

A senior UK Government source last night said that the 15 million jabs needed for those most at risk could be delivered by mid-March.

Vaccinating that particularly vulnerable group is seen as crucial in releasing Britain from the crippling effects of lockdown.

Writing exclusively in The Mail on Sunday, Professor VanTam rejects criticism that changing the period between the two doses of the Oxford and Pfizer vaccines is confusing and potentially dangerous.

‘Simply put, every time we vaccinate someone a second time, we are not vaccinating someone else for the first time,’ he says.

‘It means we are missing an opportunity to greatly reduce

‘Right thing to do for the nation as a whole’

the chances of the most vulnerable people getting severely ill from Covid-19.’

His intervention came as:

Boris Johnson hailed the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine as ‘a triumph of British science’ after the first vials of the drug arrived in the UK;

Medics will start using the initial 530,000 doses from tomorrow. It is expected that 440,000 Scots will have received the new vaccine by the end of this month;

Government sources said Ministers planned to ‘step on the gas’ by delivering up to 1.5 million vaccines this week and reach the target of two million a week by February;

A record 57,725 new Covid19 infections – 2,137 in Scotland – were recorded yesterday, up from 35,691 a week ago. A further 445 deaths were reported, almost double the death toll from last Saturday;

The Scottish Government will decide tomorrow whether to further extend the closure of schools until February – or even the Easter holidays;

The EU was accused by BioNTech, the German firm behind the Pfizer vaccine, of failing to order more doses. After European regulators were slow to approve the vaccine, it emerged France had only delivered 352 jabs.

In his article, Professor VanTam says the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has found the Pfizer vaccine to be 89 per cent effective against Covid-19 from between 15 to 21 days after the first dose. That rises to 95 per cent effective after a second dose, but he argues that extra 6 per cent means halving the number who can get a large degree of immunity from a single jab.

He adds: ‘If a family has two elderly grandparents and there are two vaccines available, it is better to give both 89 per cent protection than to give one 95 per cent protection with two quick doses, and the other grandparent no protection at all.

‘The virus is unfortunately spreading fast, and this is a race against time. My mum, as well as you or your older loved ones, may be affected by this decision, but it is still the right thing to do for the nation as a whole.’

The UK Government last week changed its policy on administering a second jab following advice from the JCVI supported by Chief Medical Officers across the UK.

Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Gregor Smith said: ‘Given the very high level of protection afforded by the first dose, vaccinating a greater number of people with a single dose will prevent more deaths and hospitalisations than vaccinating a smaller number of people with two doses.

‘The JCVI has recommended this approach, reflecting the need to reach as many people in the shortest possible timeframe within the available vaccine supplies.

‘The protection after the first in a two-dose schedule is very substantial for both available vaccines.’

However, the British Medical Association (BMA) echoed the concern of some GPs that the move was misguided.

On Friday, Dr Richard Vautrey, chairman of the BMA’s GP committee, said: ‘The BMA believes the existing commitment made to these patients by the NHS and local clinicians should be respected. If GPs decide to honour these booked appointments in January the BMA will support them.’

Dr Lewis Morrison, chairman of BMA Scotland, said of the decision to delay the second Pfizer dose: ‘We share the concerns of our members and their patients about this significant change in vaccination plans.

‘Despite reassurance from the Scottish Government that there is clear evidence that this delay will not affect the level of protection these individuals will get against Covid19, it is clear many doctors are yet to be convinced on the basis of what evidence we have seen so far.

‘We would urge the Scottish Government to make all the evidence and clear reasoning for their decision public, and with as much clarity as possible, as soon as possible.’

There were warnings too that confidence has been lost in the care sector, amid fears the safety of the most vulnerable has been jeopardised.

Dr Donald MacAskill, chief executive officer of Scottish Care, said: ‘What’s thrown us is the change to the length of time for the second dose – that’s causing real distress.

‘Do we have the evidence to show that one vaccination on its own gives the protection required?’

Welcoming the arrival of the first batch of Oxford vaccines, Mr Johnson said: ‘I’m confident this is the year we will defeat coronavirus and start building back better.’

Comparing the UK’s vaccination programme with that of Europe, NHS chief Sir Simon Stephens said: ‘By New Year’s Day we’d been able to vaccinate more people than the rest of Europe combined.

‘Now we have a second, more versatile, jab in our armoury.’

Meanwhile, security agencies warned that disinformation about the 12-week gap between jabs could be used by Britain’s enemies to create ‘panic’.

‘We have a second, more versatile, jab’