Britain to give severely immunosuppressed people a third dose of COVID - 19 vaccine

LONDON - 1 Sept Reuters - Britain will give severely immunosuppressed people a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine to increase their chances of producing a better immune response, although officials stressed the offer was separate from any broader booster vaccine programme.

With the move, Britain follows the United States, which last month authorised a third dose of COVID - 19 vaccines made by Pfizer Inc-BioNTech and Moderna Inc for people with compromised immune systems who are likely to have weaker protection from two-dose regimens.

Public Health England on Wednesday said the decision to offer third doses to immunosuppressed followed data showing that 40% of immunosuppressed people generated only low levels of antibodies from two vaccine shots.

However, officials stressed the initial dose was not a booster dose as it would be administered as part of the third vaccination regimen and aimed at aiding the top immune process during our initial period of receiving an immune response.

We want people with severely suppressed immune systems to have the best chance of gaining protection from COVID 19 through vaccine, said Wei Shen Lim, Chair of COVID -19 Immunisation for Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization JCVI The JCVI's final advice on the broader booster programme for the elderly and vulnerable is expected soon. The committee previously said that it could start this month.

Third doses will be given to people with immunosuppressive conditions such as HIV AIDS, and those who have received immunosuppressive treatments like chemotherapy. The move will affect less than 1% of the population, around 400 - 500,000 people.

Officials said mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna should be used as the third dose, as there was more data for these shots, but AstraZeneca's vaccine could be added later if the data supported the move.

The government says it accepted the JCVI's advice.

Health Minister Sajid Javid will contact people as soon as possible to discuss their needs and arrange an appointment for a third dose where clinically appropriate, said NHS National Health Service.

This is not the start of booster programme we are continuing to plan for this to begin in September. Reporting by Mark Potter Editing by Alistair Smout