Who is next on the list for Covid vaccines – and how will I be invited to book an appointment? – The Telegraph

Why is there a delay between the first and secondjabs?

Regulators have said the key to success will be to administer two full doses between four to 12 weeks apart, in order to give as many people the initial dose of the vaccine as possible, which offers some protection from the virus.

However, the rollout of second doses has been accelerated for over-50sfollowing concerns about the spread of the Indian variant.

Astudy found a single dose of the Oxford vaccine was 76 per cent effective in fending off infection between 22 days and 90 days post-injection, rising to 82.4 per cent after a second dose at that stage. Researchers involved in the trial said the findingssupportthedecision made by the UK to extend the interval between initial doses and booster doses of the shot to 12 weeks.

While a different studyfound that a single dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine provided a "very high" level of protection from Covid-19 after just 21 days, without the need for a second "top-up" vaccination.

The UEA study, which has not yet been peer reviewed, looked at data from Israel where the vaccine has been rolled out. Scientists found the vaccine becomes 90 per cent effective after 21 days - supporting UK plans to delay the timing of a second jab.

Those who hadreceived the Pfizer jabwere 49 per cent less likely to transmit the virus to others in their households, while transmission fell by 38 per cent for those given the AstraZeneca vaccine.

According to data released on May 20 by PHE, afortnight after the first dose of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine, the chance of getting symptomatic Covid fell by nearly 60 per cent, with a second dose bringing this up to 90 per cent.

The PHE data examined cases of coronavirus among those aged 65 and over, who were in the first groups to get vaccinated.

While it is not yet known how long immunity lasts beyond 21 days without a second dose, researchers believe it is "unlikely" to majorly decline during the following nine weeks.

Read more:From transmission to efficacy, the Oxford, Pfizer and other Covid vaccines compared

The NHS will contact you when you are eligible for the vaccine and you will be invited to make an appointment.

If you are registered to a GP, you will be contacted by your surgery either over the phone, by text,email orpost, in order to book in to receive a vaccineat your local vaccination centre.

You can still register at a GP surgery if you are not already registered to one, and it is advised that you make sure that your contact details are up to date to ensure that there are no delays.

However, if you are over 50 and have still not taken up an offerof the vaccine, the government urges you to contact your GP.

Alternatively, you can check whether you are eligible and find an appointment by using the NHS vaccination booking service.

Health SecretaryMattHancock said there would be three modes of delivery,withhospitalsand mass vaccination centres along with pharmacists and GPs offering the jab.

In total, 250active hospital sites, 89vaccination centres, andaround 1,600local vaccination sites -including mosques, museums and rugby grounds, as well as pharmacies have been set up to ensureevery at-risk person has easy access to a vaccination centre, regardless of where they live.

Sites across the country, including the ExCel in London, Etihad Tennis Centre in Manchester and Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey,have beentransformedinto vaccine hubs and have been administering vaccines fromJanuary 25.

The Prime Minister has also announced the formation ofan 'antivirals taskforce', which will be launched with the aim of developingatleast two effective treatments for Covidby the end of the year.

The emergence of new Covid-19 strains, such as theSouth African, Indian andBrazilian variants, have threatened to undermine the vaccine and testing gains of recent months.

Butvaccines appear to prevent 97 per cent of infections with the Indian variant, real world data suggests, with no known cases of death among those fully vaccinated in the UK.

TheIndian varianthas spread three times faster than other imported strains, Public Health England figures showed on May 12, and is nowdominant in several Covid-19 hotspotsin the North West of England.

The strain was escalated to a "variant of concern" by PHEon May 7,based on evidence which suggests it is at least as transmissible as a strain known as the Kent variant.

Bolton, where the so-calledIndian variant has been identified, has the highest rate of new Covid-19 cases in the UK. A total of 1,300 new cases recorded in the seven days to May 21 - the equivalent of 452.1 per 100,000 people. This is up from 300.8 the previous week and is the highest since the seven days to November 12.

But Covid-19 hospital numbers in the borough are stillless than a third of the peak of the pandemic, according to the leader of Manchester City Council, Sir Richard Leese.

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Who is next on the list for Covid vaccines - and how will I be invited to book an appointment? - The Telegraph