Second Jabs could be sooner to tackle rise of Indian Covid variant

Second jabs of the Covid vaccine could be brought forward to help tackle the rise in the Indian variant. The government are also not ruling out local restrictions in the worst affected areas.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi says the UK will “flex” its vaccination programme to where best utilised and most needed.

A variant first detected in India, which may spread more quickly, is causing increasing concern. Recent figures from Public Health England (PHE) show cases of the Indian Covid variant have more than doubled, as the UK record 1,313 instances.

However, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) says there is no evidence to suggest this variant is any more severe or is resistant to vaccines. But ministers still cannot rule out imposing economic and social restrictions at a local or regional level if necessary to contain it. This could even spread to a national level, if needed.

Ministers are considering giving eligible people their second doses of vaccine sooner. They are also thinking about vaccinating younger people in multi-generational households. Additional measures are being considered in places where “clusters” of cases are detected. This includes close monitoring, and encouraging uptake of the vaccine.

The government currently see surge testing as the “most effective way” of dealing with variants. Increased testing and enhanced contact tracing is carried out in specific locations to try to prevent the spread of outbreaks. Although some people believe surge testing “isn’t working”, as it identifies cases but does not stop it spreading. We are seeing cases of the variant in many places with no links to travel.

Can restrictions be eased?

The vaccination campaign is hugely successful, but is not yet complete. So far almost 36 million people have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. The vaccine has proven to stop people in England becoming seriously ill or dying from the disease.

The next big step of easing restrictions is due on 17 May, and the Prime Minister says he sees no reason for this to not go ahead. However there is worry that it could accelerate spread of the variant. One of the tests for the easing of lockdown restrictions is the role of new variants.

Meanwhile, local mayors are also concerned about regional restrictions while the rest of the country is unlocking. The question is if local measures in variant hotspots are enough to control it, or if the overall plan needs changing at a national level.

The government hopes to lift all legal limits on social contact in England on 21 June. However, people are asking whether it is best to delay stage four of the roadmap out of lockdown. Meanwhile, others argue that we don’t need further lockdown measures because the “vaccines continue to break the link between cases and hospitalisations and deaths”.

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