When it was first rolled-out, the vaccine programme included a three-week break between people receiving their first and second doses. In December 2020, the Government announced that the second dose of the vaccine would be administered 12 weeks after the first dose.73 We asked why this decision had been made and whether it would be reviewed in light of the current, or future, lockdowns. The Department explained that the decision was based on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination an...

When it was first rolled-out, the vaccine programme included a three-week break between people receiving their first and second doses. In December 2020, the Government announced that the second dose of the vaccine would be administered 12 weeks after the first dose.73 We asked why this decision had been made and whether it would be reviewed in light of the current, or future, lockdowns. The Department explained that the decision was based on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and the Chief Medical Officers and “basic maths” that it was better to get a first dose to as many vulnerable people as possible and delay Type: conclusion | Number: 25 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: Accept. The independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised that prioritising the first doses of vaccine for as many people as possible on the basis of the evidence and, initially, a 12 week gap between doses would maximise the early im