A major British doctors’ group says the United Kingdom should “urgently review” its decision to give people a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine up to 12 weeks after the first, rather than the shorter gap recommended by the manufacturer and the World Health Organization.
The UK, which has Europe’s deadliest coronavirus outbreak, adopted the policy in order to give as many people as possible the first dose of vaccine quickly.
So far almost 5.5 million people have received a shot of either a vaccine made by United States drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech or one developed by UK-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University.
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London – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday the new English variant of coronavirus (COVID-19) may be associated with a higher level of mortality, although he said evidence showed that both vaccines being used in the country are effective against it.
Johnson said that the impact of the new variant, which is already known to be more transmissable, was putting the health service under “intense pressure”.
“We’ve been informed today that in addition to spreading more quickly, it also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant – the variant that was first discovered in London and the southeast [of England] – may be associated with a higher degree of mortality,” he told a news briefing.
Boris Johnson says UK COVID-19 variant could pose higher risk of death
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JanJanuary 2021 at 10:18pm
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Boris Johnson says the new variant of COVID-19 that emerged in the UK is more dangerous, as well as more easily spreadable.
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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the country s new variant of COVID-19 may carry a greater risk of death.
Key points:
Early studies suggest the UK variant could be more transmissible as well
Boris Johnson warns that new Covid variant could be more deadly spectator.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from spectator.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the new variant of COVID-19 first identified in England may be associated with a higher level of mortality although he said evidence showed both vaccines being used in the country are effective against it.
Johnson said the effect of the new variant, which is already known to be more transmissible, was putting the health service under “intense pressure”.
“We’ve been informed today that in addition to spreading more quickly, it also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant – the variant that was first discovered in London and the southeast (of England) – may be associated with a higher degree of mortality,” he told a news briefing.