Astrazeneca dose gap can be cut from 12 to 8 weeks, says Niac

Public Health Nurse Deirdre Murphy with a vial of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccination at the mass vaccination centre in the Helix, DCU, Dublin. Picture: PA

New advice issued to the HSE allows for the gap between AstraZeneca vaccination doses to be reduced by four weeks. 

The National Immunisation Advisory Council (NIAC) has advised that the wait time between the first and second dose of the vaccine can be cut from 12 weeks to eight weeks.

NIAC has informed the chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Tony Holohan of the change and he has written to the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly on the issue. 

The HSE is to consider the new advice and the implications for the vaccine rollout, given the difficulties in securing adequate supplies of the vaccine with the manufacturer struggling to meet delivery orders. 

If the gap is reduced, it would mean some people who have received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and some people due to get a first dose soon, could be fully vaccinated sooner. 

Niac's advice comes on the back of recent evidence in the UK which showed that one dose of vaccine offers less protection against the Indian variant of the virus (the Delta variant) than two jabs.

Responding to the NIAC move, Labour Leader Alan Kelly said what the public will want to know is if it will be implemented by the HSE, and he called on the Minister for Health to provide clarity.

Mr Kelly said: “This is a welcome development from NIAC but we need clarity on whether the shorter eight-week gap between doses will now be implemented?

“I raised the issue twice at Leader’s Questions recently as there is significant public concern about the 12 week wait, and I’d been contacted by so many in the 60-69 age cohort worried about the emerging risk from the new delta variant."

Covid situation

In addition to the latest vaccination recommendations, the letter from the CMO to Minister Donnelly detailed the current Covid-19 status. 

He described the current situation as stable with some vulnerabilities remaining and said people who are not fully vaccinated should limit their indoor interaction with others who are also unvaccinated, especially if they are "at risk of severe impacts of Covid-19".

It highlights that despite the positive position that the country is in, “there remains a number of key uncertainties and risks”.

They include case numbers and incidence rates being “relatively high”.

Dr Holohan added that there continues to be “very significant progress” made by the vaccination programme with uptake being high.

More than 2.5m doses of the Covid-19 vaccine has been administered in Ireland to date, with more than 50% of adults having had at least one jab.

Further restrictions eased

The CMO was also optimistic about the potential for the further easing of restrictions however this letter was sent on May 26, before his comments surrounding mass gathering public gatherings in Dublin city centre over the weekend. 

Dr Tony Holohan expressed his shock at the large crowds who gathered in the South William Street area on Saturday.

"I drove through the junction looking up South William St and it looked like Jones road on the day of an All-Ireland, that's what it looked like.

"It's not at all that we are surprised that we see some level of non-compliance but that scale of that.

"I think if the council had set about organising an outdoor event they couldn't have squeezed more people into that confined arena and that was the concern," he said at today's National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) press conference.

In his letter Dr Holohan said there is “scope to continue with the relaxation of public health restrictions” but warned that it must be done on a cautious and phased basis.

Dr Holohan said “sufficient time” must be allowed to pass between phases to allow for an assessment of the impact of the reopening.