Question Time audience clashes with professor over vaccine
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Covid vaccines will have drifted to the back of many people’s minds, with pandemic measures nearly concluded in the UK. But today, the Government announced plans to administer a fourth Covid jab in spring for some Britons in a bid to extend immunity. As with the previous two offered by the NHS, only some groups can get the latest version.
How long do you need to wait before your fourth Covid jab?
The third Covid jab ordered by the Government in late 2021 provided a new layer of protection for Omicron.
The latest most infective variant has evolved to sneak through defences provided by the other two doses, leaving people more vulnerable.
After leaving two weeks for it to take effect, scientists found that it reconfigured immunity, protecting people from 70 percent of infections or more.
Those armed with the new dose who contract the variant also have better protection from severe Covid.
But they had to wait before taking it and will have to do so again for the fourth.
The Joint Centre for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) unveiled who can receive the next booster in an announcement today.
The organisation has suggested that only the most vulnerable people should have it, having waited six months since their last in September and October.
The outlined groups included those aged over 75 and living in a care home, and children aged 12 and over with chronic conditions.
They are the most at risk from the disease, should another variant break out this year.
The JCVI estimated that immunity wanes over half a year, leaving them less prepared to fight the virus.
That danger means they may need an additional jab by autumn this year as well, six months after their fourth.
Which vaccines require more than one dose?
While the requirement to receive more than one Covid dose, especially considering a fourth, may seem dizzying, it is par for the course.
Many vaccines require more than one dose to develop effective immunity; most during childhood.
Some of those asking for three or more doses have helped eradicate otherwise potentially fatal diseases.
Vaccines that require more than one dose include:
- The MMR vaccine
- The MenB vaccine
- The six-in-one vaccine (for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, Hib disease and hepatitis B)
- The Rotavirus vaccine
Many older adults may also want to take the annual flu jab to protect them from that year’s dominant flu strain.
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