How effective is the first dose of the Covid vaccine? How protected am I after one dose?
Vaccine: ‘Strong possibility’ of 24-hour jabs says expert
Covid has already killed more than 80,000 people in the UK, and the number of cases continues to rise across the country. But after the introduction of vaccines in December, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. But will you be protected after having a single dose of the vaccine?
Covid cases have hit record levels in the UK across the past few weeks.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was forced to announce a third national lockdown at the start of the month, to curtail the rising infections.
Vaccines have already been launched, and their delivery is being ramped up.
It’s hoped that everyone in the top four priority groups will be vaccinated by the middle of February.
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In a bid to vaccinate as many people as possible, scientists have asked the government to change the dosing schedule.
The public will now have to wait slightly longer for a second dose of the vaccine, to make sure that more people have a first dose.
But, you’ll still receive a large amount of protection against Covid by simply having your first dose of the vaccine.
The jab’s effectiveness should be enough to protect you against coronavirus for the two to three-week waiting period, assuming you still follow the recommended guidelines.
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“We have to ensure that we maximise the number of eligible people who receive the vaccine,” said the UK’s four Chief Medical Officers.
“Currently the main barrier to this is vaccine availability, a global issue, and this will remain the case for several months and, importantly, through the critical winter period.
“We are confident that based on publicly available data as well as data available to the JCVI [Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation], the statutory independent body, that the first dose of either Pfizer or AstraZeneca [Oxford] vaccine provides substantial protection within two to three weeks of vaccination for clinical disease, and in particular
severe COVID disease.
“This is why the JCVI has recommended that first doses of vaccine are prioritised for as many people as possible on the Phase 1 JCVI priority list.”
How effective is the first dose of the Covid vaccine?
Short-term vaccination – or having your first dose of the vaccine – still provides a significant amount of protection against coronavirus, according to the JCVI.
If you’ve been given the Pfizer vaccine, you’ll still be up to 90 percent protected.
The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has an effectiveness of around 70 percent after the first dose.
But the second dose is still important as it provides a longer-lasting protection, and increases the vaccine’s effectiveness.
More than 2.2 million people in the UK have already received their first dose of the Covid vaccine.
The vaccines were launched on December 8, after the initial approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech jab.
Almost 400,000 people have received both doses of the vaccine, excluding Scotland, according to latest figures.
Seven mass vaccination sites have been launched this week to ramp up the number of people being vaccinated.
The ExCel Centre in London, the Etihad Tennis Club in Manchester, and Millennium Point in Birmingham have all started delivering vaccinations.
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