Give second vaccine within weeks, GPs told

GPS HAVE been given the freedom to give second Covid vaccine doses after just three or four weeks if supplies are at risk of being wasted, with those in Bolton racing through an excess supply.

In the Covid hotspot, GPs are offering adults their second jab four weeks after the first to use the doses within date. Guidance states second doses should be eight weeks after the first.

But a Government spokesman said vaccination sites have “local discretion”.

Both the AstraZeneca and Pfizer jabs have shelf lives of six months, although once the Pfizer is taken out of deepfreeze it must be used within a month.

There has been a push to get as many vaccinated before the Government makes a decision about whether Covid restrictions can be lifted on June 21.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) announced last month that second doses could be brought forward from 12 to 8 weeks for everyone aged 50 and over and younger people in vulnerable groups.

The same change is also set for those in their 40s after a formal recommendation is made by the JCVI. Ministers hope that by speeding up the rollout they can stick to the June 21 lifting, but a twoweek delay has also been discussed.

Several areas have started offering jabs to under-30s. A walk-in clinic in Stockport, Greater Manchester, offered jabs to anyone aged over 28 on Friday. In Tottenham, north London, a pop-up clinic was encouraging over-18s to get vaccinated on Friday and yesterday.

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “We are making phenomenal progress through our vaccination programme, hitting our target of offering vaccines to everyone in phase one of the programme while remaining on track to offer a jab to all adults by the end of July.”