There is no data on the efficacy of the Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine 12 weeks after the first dose. Given the high effectiveness and durability of responses to the first dose seen in United Kingdom data, it is not expected that protection will reduce rapidly after 12 weeks.

Vaccination sites must administer the vaccine in line with the best Infection Prevention Control (IPC) procedures including social distancing, ventilation and wearing masks.

Large-scale centres are required to have an environmental risk assessment in place which is expected to cover requirements for ventilation in a pandemic when transmission and virus shedding is a significant concern.

The vaccination process, from the National Booking System to the structure and delivery in the vaccination sites, has been designed to ensure a steady throughput of people to avoid bottlenecks and overcrowding.

No specific assessment has been made.

Local vaccination services are for the most part using text messages or phone calls as the first approach. Follow up phone calls are also being made to those who have not responded to initial invitations.

None of the combined needles and syringes associated with COVID-19 vaccine administration procured by Public Health England were produced in the United Kingdom.

The number of needles and syringes procured by Public Health England (PHE) for use with COVID-19 vaccine was consistent with administering two doses of vaccine to the United Kingdom population with an allowance for wastage. Subsequently there has been a further increase with additional vaccine availability. PHE is now procuring additional 250 million syringes associated with possible future COVID-19 vaccine candidates.

Through Public Health England’s (PHE) surveillance strategy, we are monitoring how effective the vaccines are at protecting against a range of outcomes including: infection; symptomatic disease; hospitalisations; mortality; and onwards transmission.

PHE is implementing this surveillance strategy in collaboration with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, NHS England and NHS Improvement, and academic partners. Initial results from this strategy were published on 1 March 2021 and show that both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines are highly effective in reducing COVID-19 infections among people aged 70 years old and over.

We have sufficient doses to maintain the vaccination programme and to provide second doses to hospital patients and in other settings.

Public Health England is monitoring the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines and has published early evidence on the efficacy of both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccines. The evidence suggests that a single dose of either vaccine is around 60 to 70% effective at preventing symptomatic disease in older adults and around 80% effective at preventing hospitalisations. There is also evidence that a single dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is around 85% effective at preventing deaths. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.01.21252652v1

Effectiveness of two doses with a 12-week gap will be monitored as more individuals start to receive their second dose.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that the priority for the current COVID-19 vaccination programme should be the prevention of COVID-19 mortality and the protection of health and social care staff and systems.

All frontline social care workers directly working with people who are clinically vulnerable to COVID-19 and need care and support, irrespective of where they work, will be a priority for phase one of the COVID-19 vaccine programme.

The Government will set out plans for phase two of vaccination in due course, based on further advice from the JCVI. Phase two of the roll-out may include further reduction in hospitalisation and targeted vaccination of those at high risk of exposure and/or those delivering key public services.