Second Covid jab won’t be affected by vaccines shortage, minister says

People who have already received their first Covid vaccination won’t miss out on their second jab because of a shortage in the UK’s supply, a government minister has said.

A four-week delay in the delivery of five million Oxford-AstraZeneca doses from India’s Serum Institute means there will be fewer vaccines available over the coming weeks.

But housing secretary Robert Jenrick told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme there will be enough jabs to go round to ensure nobody misses out on their second jab.

“I don’t think we should be surprised by this, we said from the outset that a new manufacturing process would have it’s ups and downs,” he said.

“This is, in that sense, to be expected.”

Mr Jenrick confirmed the government was still on target to vaccinate all top nine priority groups by mid-April and for every adult to have their first jab by the end of July.

However, he refused to be drawn on reports that the production of the vaccine in India was causing the shortage.

He added: “It’s not that there is any one factory that is responsible for this or any one country, we are sourcing vaccines from all over the world using multiple manufacturers.

“There are multiple manufacturers around the world experiencing issues at the moment, it would not be right for me to pin blame on any one manufacturer, factory or country.”

Professor Martin Marshall, chairman of Royal College of General Practitioners, described the vaccine shortage as “a bit of a setback” for the “massively successful programme overall”.

He said: “What we are going to see over the next few weeks, where we have a bumper supply, is we are going to be pushing on with people who are high risk, people over age of 50 and those under-50 who are vulnerable in one way or another.”

He added that those who needed second doses would receive them throughout April, with supplies of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccine “held back for those who need it”.

He added: “We have been given reassurances that’s the case - while you get a high level of immunity with first dose, the second dose increases that immunity.”