Covid vaccines: 15-minute wait following Pfizer or Moderna jab suspended to speed up booster scheme

The 15-minute wait following a Covid jab is no longer necessary for most patients. Credit: PA

The 15-minute observation period following a dose of either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna coronavirus vaccine has been temporarily suspended in order to speed up the booster jab scheme.

The health secretary said the government is "doing everything we can to speed up our booster programme" in response to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of Covid.

“We know that boosters are our best weapon against the virus, and this change – informed by the clinical advice from the four UK CMOs and the independent regulator - will help the NHS get more jabs in arms more quickly to give people vital protection this winter," Sajid Javid added.

Boris Johnson has set the NHS a target of offering every eligible over-18 a vaccine appointment before the new year, a task that will require the health service to break its daily jab record by inoculating one million people each day.

In order to achieve that, Mr Javid has said NHS vaccine rates would need to "reach new heights" this week.

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Covid booster jabs are being rolled out across the UK. Credit: PA Images

The Department of Health said "maintaining the 15 minute rule would cause more harm than it can avert because removing it will significantly increase the number of people who can be vaccinated over a short period of time".

The observation period will remain in place for the small number of people who may have previously suffered anaphylaxis or other allergic reactions to a food, insect sting and most medicines or vaccines

However the risk of a severe reaction to a vaccine is extremely low - around 1 report per 100,000 vaccine doses, the government said.

Advice for after you've been jabbed:

  • Avoid leaving the centre if you feel unwell

  • Let the centre know if you have a history of allergies

  • Do not drive for 15 minutes after receiving the vaccine

  • If you are vaccinated at home, you may need to arrange to have someone with you

  • If you are vaccinated at home, make sure the person you are with has a phone available

  • If you get tingling or throat tightness, get the person you are with to dial 999 or call for help if you are near the vaccine centre

Nikki Kanani, GP and deputy lead for the NHS vaccination programme, said removing the wait will be "particularly helpful for smaller vaccination sites, helping get more people protected as quickly as possible".

It comes with the UK in a "race" against Omicron, which is swiftly spreading throughout the UK.

The Covid variant is much more transmissible than other mutations and while it is not yet clear whether it is anymore dangerous, the PM has warned that a "tidal wave of Omicron" could cause "very many deaths".

A recent study found the Pfizer vaccine still provides around 70% protection against the variant, which is why ministers are desperate to drive up immunity through booster jabs.

The UK has so administered 24,075,451 booster and third doses, with 513,722 jabs given on Monday.

Huge queues formed outside several of the UK's vaccination centres after the PM issued a late night plea on Sunday evening, urging people to "get boosted now".

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Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab acknowledged the queues showed there are "teething problems" with the jab scheme but urged people to continue seeking the protection.

On Wednesday, the online booking system will open up to all eligible over-18 year olds.

The Army has been drafted in to help speed up the booster campaign and the PM has previously said new vaccine sites will be "popping up like Christmas trees".

The UK recorded its first Omicron death on Monday, with more than 4,700 cases now identified.

Scotland's first minister earlier announced more guidance to stem the spread of Omicron, telling Scots they should not socialise with more than two other households before and after Christmas.

Nicola Sturgeon said the variant is "spreading very rapidly", faster "than anything experienced in the pandemic so far".

Professor Wei Shen Lim, chair of the Covid-19 panel of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), told MPs it was important to give the booster before the Omicron wave comes.

"The principle here is that if you give a booster you get a high immune response," he said, adding: "There is less benefit in giving a booster in the middle of a wave or after a wave."