These people may not mount a full response to vaccination and therefore may be less protected than the wider population, it said…reports Asian Lite News.
The government has accepted Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s (JCVI) advice to offer a third COVID-19 vaccine to people with severely weakened immune systems.
According to JCVI, this third dose should be offered to people over 12 who were severely immunosuppressed at the time of their first or second dose, including those with leukaemia, advanced HIV and recent organ transplants.
These people may not mount a full response to vaccination and therefore may be less protected than the wider population, it said.
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This offer is separate to any potential booster programme. The JCVI is still deliberating the potential benefits of booster vaccines for the rest of the population and is awaiting further evidence to inform this decision.
“We know people with specific conditions that make them particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 may have received less protection against the virus from two vaccine doses. I am determined to ensure we are doing all we can to protect people in this group and a third dose will help deliver that,” Health Secretary Sajid Javid said.
“The NHS will contact people as soon as possible to discuss their needs and arrange an appointment for a third dose where clinically appropriate.”
He said that this is not the start of the booster programme.
“We are continuing to plan for this to begin in September to ensure the protection people have built from vaccines is maintained over time and ahead of the winter. We will prioritise those most at risk to COVID-19, including those who are eligible for a third primary vaccine, for boosters based on the final advice of the JCVI,” he added.
He added that vaccines have saved more than 105,000 lives and prevented 24 million infections in England alone.
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