Islanders to get second dose of vaccine up to 12 weeks after first in Jersey

 SOPA Images/SIPA USA/PA Images
Those who have already received their first dose and are due their second imminently will still receive it but once that process is complete, focus will shift to giving as many people as possible the first dose. Credit: SOPA Images/SIPA USA/PA Images

Jersey's Deputy Medical Officer of Health says the way in which the coronavirus vaccine is rolled-out will change.

It comes after regulatory authorities say focus should be on delivering the first dose of the vaccine rather than both.At the moment, the two-dose schedule sees the second administered three weeks after the first.

However, it is now clear that the priority should be on delivering the first dose as quickly as possible, rather than both doses, in order to maximise protection within the population at large.

Those who have already received their first dose and are due their second imminently will still receive it but once that process is complete, focus will shift to giving as many people as possible the first dose.

The booster dose will then be administered 10 to 12 weeks later.

It comes after a similar announcement from the UK's Chief Medical Officers yesterday (30 December).