Current Guidance on intervals between 1st and 2nd Covid-19 vaccinations

The Practice has been receiving regular requests from patients wanting to reduce the time between their first and second Covid-19 vaccinations to under 8 weeks so that they can travel abroad.    Unfortunately at the moment this is not something that we can support given the current advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are very clear that there is evidence of better immune response and/or protection where longer intervals between Covid vaccination doses are used. Currently, JCVI is recommending an interval of 8 to 12 weeks between doses of all the available COVID-19 vaccines. Therefore, for patient safety and optimal vaccine effectiveness we will only support vaccination intervals of at least 8 weeks.  

 The only exception to this would be for rare & exceptional medical reasons. Personal reasons and travel are not reasons to support a vaccination regime that is less effective, and therefore less safe. 

 Therefore, the dosing interval remains at 8 to 12 weeks, as standard.