Milton Keynes hospital postpones all second Covid vaccination appointments until February

The hospital has today postponed all appointments for local people due to receive their second jab from next Monday, January 4.

Hundreds of MK over 80s and keyworkers have already had the first vaccination and were told they had to return for the second after three weeks.

But earlier today the government announced this second dose could be given up to three months later, instead of three weeks.

There is evidence to show the first dose offers "considerable protection" and that a longer interval could even provide stronger and longer-lasting immune response, say health experts.

The delay will now allow the NHS to use the doses and staff time to give a first vaccine to as many people in priority groups as possible.

Meanwhile the newly-authorised AstraZeneca (Oxford) vaccine will be deployed across the UK as soon as possible. This will also be administered in 2 doses, with the second dose given between 4 and 12 weeks after the first.

"For both vaccines, data provided to MHRA demonstrate that while efficacy is optimised when a second dose is administered, both offer considerable protection after a single dose, at least in the short term. For both vaccines the second dose completes the course and is likely to be important for longer term protection," said a government spokesman

An MK hospital spokesman said: "Milton Keynes University Hospital is postponing all appointments for local people due to receive their second Covid vaccination dose at the hospital from Monday 4 January 2021."

He added: "Following a national announcement today from the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, the approach to second/ booster vaccinations has changed with the period between vaccinations now extended to 12 weeks.

The hospital has We apologise for the short notice of this change and any inconvenience caused. They will be contacting all those who have already received their first jab to advise that their booster dose will now be rearranged and they will be contacted from mid-February to arrange their next appointment.

"If you have an appointment to receive your second Covid vaccination dose at the hospital, you will be contacted to advise that your appointment will now be deferred to a later date. Please do not attend the hospital for your follow-up vaccination or contact the hospital to arrange a new appointment. We will contact you in February with a new appointment," said the spokesman,

To read more about the government's change of approach to the COVID vaccination programme, click here .

The move to delay second jabs has already been criticised by some GPs, who say it could cause confusion and waste valuable time.

Chair of the British Medical Association’s GP committee, Dr Richard Vautrey, said: “It is grossly and patently unfair to tens of thousands of our most at-risk patients to now try to reschedule their appointments."

Her added: "The decision to ask GPs, at such short notice, to rebook patients for three months hence, will also cause huge logistical problems for almost all vaccination sites and practices.For example, to make contact with even just two thousand elderly or vulnerable patients will take a team of five staff at a practice about a week, and that’s simply untenable.”

Dr Vautrey said the BMA would support practices who honour the existing appointments for the follow-up vaccination