Since researchers and biotech companies started to develop an effective Coronavirus vaccine, people started asking questions like, when they will get it? and who will get it first? Now, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has released a list of who should get COVID-19 shot first in the UK.
The independent expert advisory committee of the UK's health department said that the residents of care homes should be the first to receive an effective Coronavirus vaccine, while healthy people will get the vaccine later, based on their age.
Priority List
As per the committee, the experts have examined the data on who suffers the worst outcomes of COVID-19 disease and who are at the highest risk of dying from the SARS-CoV-2 infection. As per the list, the priority should be:
As per the JCVI, the prioritization could change if the first available vaccines were not considered effective in or suitable for older adults. In a statement, the joint committee said that any vaccine program should ensure "good coverage in black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups," as well as those who have been living in deprived regions.
JCVI also added people with underlying health issues that could lead to the priority immunization include individuals who have suffered a stroke, people with uncontrolled diabetes, obesity, liver disease, and chronic lung disease. However, they clarified that this list was not conclusive as the experts are collecting additional information on risk groups.
A professor of infectious diseases at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Jon Cohen said that this initial advice on how a Coronavirus vaccine should be distributed is an "important first step." But according to him the "tricky issue" will be if the first available COVID-19 vaccine offers only a limited amount of protection and possibly it is weekly effective in case of older people. The JCVI said, "There are still important gaps in our understanding of COVID-19 and about a potential vaccine, which may modify the committee's advice. The committee will keep these issues under review."
