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Tony Blair calls for the UK to use up ALL coronavirus vaccine supplies to get at least one initial dose of the jab to millions of people as NHS doctors are 'frustrated' with slow roll-out

Tony Blair has called for Britain to scrap its current coronavirus vaccination strategy and give 'as many people as possible' a single dose of the jab to curb the spread of the mutant strain racing through the UK.

The former prime minister said today the present two-dose vaccination plan, which prioritises elderly and vulnerable people, 'must be altered and radically accelerated' in the face of the highly infectious variant. 

Currently the only Covid vaccine approved for use in the UK is Pfizer/BioNTech's, but one made by Oxford University is expected to get the green light in the coming days— normal schedules require both to be given via two shots three weeks apart.

Britain's medical regulator has ruled Pfizer's vaccine can block Covid a week after the second dose, but the US' drugs regulator found it provided 'strong protection' to about half of patients 10 days after the first, with cases declining in clinical trials after two weeks.  

However, the single-dose method hasn't been definitively put to the test, so scientists can only infer from trial data that the initial injection would be sufficient.  

Mr Blair, who has no scientific credentials, believes giving twice as many people a small amount of protection against Covid would be better at driving down transmission than fully immunising a select few groups.

However a SAGE scientist said today she would need to see 'a lot more analysis' of the one-dose method before even considering it.

At the moment the priority list for Covid vaccines is based on how like people are to die from the disease, with care home residents, very elderly people, health and social care workers, and patients with severe diseases first in the queue. 

But Mr Blair said students and other asymptomatic spreaders of the disease who are fuelling the winter wave should also be prioritised to stop transmission in its tracks.

He said: 'If it is the spread we're anxious about, then it makes sense to consider vaccinating those doing the spreading, in particular certain occupations or age groups such as students,' according to Mr Blair.

A possible consequence of giving someone half the recommended doses could be that they don't develop full immune protection and the vaccine is less effective than it could be. Longer gaps between doses have not been rigorously trialled, although the Oxford scientists said their jab had been found to be relatively flexible. 

Britain should give 'as many people as possible' a single dose of a coronavirus vaccine to curb the spread of the mutant strain racing through the UK, according to Tony Blair

Britain should give 'as many people as possible' a single dose of a coronavirus vaccine to curb the spread of the mutant strain racing through the UK, according to Tony Blair

Professor Wendy Barclay, a virologist and member of SAGE sub-group NERVTAG, dismissed Mr Blair's suggestion that the first dose should be given to as many people as possible initially. 

She told the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee today: 'I think that the issue with that (Mr Blair's suggestion) is that the vaccine is on the basis of being given two doses, and the efficacy is on that basis.

'To change at that point, one would have to see a lot more analysis coming out from perhaps the clinical trial data.'

She agreed with the suggestion of Labour's committee member Graham Stringer that any such change to the established vaccine policy was 'too risky'.

The discovery of a mutated strain of the virus, which the Government claims is up to 70 per cent more infectious than its predecessor, has experts worried that even lockdowns now won't be strong enough to contain the virus. 

Britain has ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine and seven million of the one made by Moderna, which won't be ready for use in the UK until spring.

So far the UK has 800,000 doses of the Pfizer jab and approximately 10 million are expected by the end of the year, although the American drugs giant has been hit by shortages of raw materials, which could limit the number Britain gets access to.  

Britain's medical regulator has ruled Pfizer's vaccine can block Covid a week after the second dose, but the US' drugs regulator found it provided 'strong protection' to about half of patients 10 days after the first

Britain's medical regulator has ruled Pfizer's vaccine can block Covid a week after the second dose, but the US' drugs regulator found it provided 'strong protection' to about half of patients 10 days after the first

The UK has more than four million doses of the Oxford vaccine on standby, awaiting approval. 

Mr Blair is urging the Government to use up all of its available vaccine stocks giving Britons one dose. This would allow the country to vaccinate double the number of people than if it stuck to the two-dose plan.

Writing in a column in the Independent, Mr Blair said: 'The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency should clear the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine within days, to add to the Pfizer one. We have several million doses available and with perhaps another 15 million available in January. 

Growing pressure to approve Oxford's jab in desperate race to speed up the roll-out 

There is mounting pressure for Britain's regulator to approve Oxford University's vaccine to stop the spiralling outbreak that has wrecked Christmas for millions.

Oxford and AstraZeneca's jab may now be the UK's last hope for lifting lockdown rules before spring 2021 because the country can't get enough doses of Pfizer's or Moderna's - which won't come until March - to protect all vulnerable people.

The MHRA drugs regulator has been doing its final review of the vaccine for three weeks now, since November 27, with a decision expected by next Tuesday.

Scientists and politicians are calling for it to be green-lighted as soon as possible so it can be rushed out to stop the devastating epidemic.

The discovery of a mutated strain of the virus, which the Government claims is up to 70 per cent more infectious than its predecessor, has experts worried that even lockdowns now won't be strong enough to contain the virus.

One SAGE member warned today that lockdowns may have to continue until around half of the population has had a vaccine, which could be deep into next year.

The vaccine is so crucial because Britain already has more than four million doses on standby, with 100million ordered in total, and it can be kept in a normal fridge, so the roll-out could, in theory, be started the day after it is approved and go extremely quickly into care homes, GP surgeries and pop-up vaccination centres nationwide.

'It is a two-dose vaccine, but even the first dose will provide substantial immunity, with full effectiveness coming with a second dose two to three months later – longer than originally thought.

'We should consider using all the available doses in January as first doses, that is, not keeping back half for second doses. Then, as more production is rolled out, we will have enough for the second dose.  

'Thirty million Johnson and Johnson vaccines – which is a one-dose vaccine – should also be with us by end of January. We should aim to use them all in February.

'We should continue to prioritise frontline health staff and the most vulnerable, but let this not hold up vaccinating others.

'The aim should be to vaccinate as many people as possible in the coming months. The logic behind age is naturally heightened risk of mortality.'

Pfizer's vaccine was shown to provide 95 per cent protection against Covid-19 earlier this month, becoming the first in the world to seal approval. It is being rolled out in the UK, Canada and the US.

In documents published by the MHRA in Britain, regulators said patients enjoy strong protection a week after receiving the second dose, which is administered 21 days after the initial one.

But the US Food and Drug Administration notes found the jab was sufficient within about 10 days of the first dose. 

Despite the early protection afforded by the first dose, it's unclear how long that protection would last on its own without the follow-up dose.

Scientists at BioNTech believe the second dose gives the immune system a major, long-term boost. 

So far, the NHS has vaccinated 500,000 people against Covid-19 since the programme started on December 8.

But the vaccine roll-out is expected to speed up massively in the new year if Oxford's vaccine is approved. 

The MHRA is doing a critical, detailed review of Oxford's study to make sure the jab is safe and effective before it is given to millions of people.

However, they made a decision about Pfizer and BioNTech's jab within 10 days of being instructed to do so by the Department of Health.

The sticking point with the Oxford vaccine is that officials must decide whether people should get the full two doses - which the trial showed give 62 per cent protection against Covid-19 - or 1.5 doses, which a dosing error in the trial found may be 90 per cent effective.

There are not a lot of data for the group in which the vaccine worked better, and it didn't include older people, which would mean the regulator may have to take a leap of faith if it goes for it.

There are no signs that regulators are concerned about the safety of the vaccine, and AstraZeneca said even the less effective form of the jab was still good enough to meet standards and was better than a flu jab. 

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