AQW 12442/17-22 Written question to the Minister of Health
To ask the Minister of Health to detail the scientific evidence under which the decision to allow 12 weeks rather than three weeks between doses of the vaccine is based.
Asked by Paula Bradshaw MLA on 11 January 2021
- Answered
- Written
- After due date
- Tabled
- 11 January 2021
- Answer due by
- 26 January 2021
- Answered
- 25 February 202145 days after tabling
- Department
- Department of Health
- Priority question
- No
Answer
Vaccination policy in Northern Ireland is based on the recommendations and advice provided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) which advises the 4 UK Health Ministers.
JCVI have advised that the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine may be given between 3 to 12 weeks following the first dose, and that the second dose of the AstraZeneca (Oxford) vaccine may be given between 4 to 12 weeks following the first dose.
JCVI recommended that delivering a first dose to as many individuals as possible should be prioritised over delivery of a second vaccine dose in order to maximise the short term impact of the program.