As Israel starts doling out the first booster shots (courtesy of Pfizer, which has just shipped millions of additional jabs to the tiny Mediterranean nation) several European nations are jumping on the bandwagon and doling out booster shots – including the UK and Germany.
The Telegraph reported over the weekend that Great Britain would offer 32MM booster jabs starting early next month, with more than 2K pharmacies set to carry out the booster jabs. 2.5MM booster doses are expected to be delivered during the first week of September alone.
Pharmacies will be at the forefront of the vaccine program so that GPs and other NHS staff can focus on the growing backlog of patients waiting for other treatments. Assuming a Sept. 6 start, the UK expects to dole out the final third jabs by December.
The NHS has even proposed doling out booster shots alongside the flu vaccine for patients deemed to be the most high-risk. They will receive one injection in each arm.
“That is the plan, wherever possible,” said one government source, who stressed that it “depends on final JCVI [Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation] advice and coronavirus vaccine booster trials”.
HMG will be aiming to administer 2.46MM jabs a week throughout the fall to try and meet the deadline for the rollout.
With more jabs set to receive emergency approval in the UK, the government expects booster doses will be manufactured by a host of different producers, per the Telegraph.
Source: The Telegraph
Details about the booster jab rollout leaked to the press after vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi briefed British MPs on the plan.
Like the UK, Germany also plans to start offering booster shots to the elderly and at-risk starting Sept. 1, the AFP reports.
The modified guidance will also lead to broader access for those aged 12-17, as all vaccine enters will start offering jabs to minors, although presently Germany’s STIKO vaccine commission recommends the vaccine only for minors with pre-existing conditions. Within the EU, the EMA has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna jabs for all minors and adults over the age of 12.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn and Germany’s 16 regional health ministers are expected to finalize the plans during a meeting on Monday.
More European countries are expected to follow suit, even as the number of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to move lower across Europe as the latest wave of infections, caused by the delta variant, begins to wane.
Earlier we reported on the price hikes now being charged by Moderna, Pfizer and BioNTech for their jabs, which the companies argue is warranted due to their increased efficacy vs. other jabs produced by AstraZeneca, JNJ and the Chinese state-controlled firms.
