Fourth Covid jab not yet needed, say UK government advisers

Booster dose still offers high protection three months on, says UKHSA

A fourth dose will be kept under review (PA)

A fourth dose of a coronavirus vaccine is not yet needed, government health advisers have said.

Booster doses continued to provide high levels of protection months after being administered, new data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) showed.

The level of protection against hospitalisation remained at around 90 per cent in older people three months after they received a third jab, the UKHSA said.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said there was no immediate need to introduce a second booster dose but the situation would be kept under review.

Professor Wei Shen Lim, the JCVI’s chair of Covid-19 immunisation, said: “The current data shows the booster dose is continuing to provide high levels of protection against severe disease, even for the most vulnerable older age groups.

“For this reason, the committee has concluded there is no immediate need to introduce a second booster dose, though this will continue to be reviewed.

“The data is highly encouraging and emphasises the value of a booster jab. With Omicron continuing to spread widely, I encourage everyone to come forward for their booster dose, or if unvaccinated, for their first two doses, to increase their protection against serious illness.”

A fourth vaccine dose has been found to have a strong immune reaction. In Israel, which has begun a fourth dose rollout, a study found that antibodies increased fivefold a week after receiving a fourth dose.

French prime minister Jean Castex said France was ready to begin deploying a fourth dose as soon as health authorities gave the green light.

And local politicians in Germany have urged the federal government to approve a fourth jab.

The vaccine booster rollout continues in the UK. More than 35 million people, more than half of the UK population, have now had a booster dose.

Mass vaccination has helped to keep hospitalisations and deaths from the virus relatively low during the record surge in cases due to the Omicron variant but the NHS still faces significant pressure.

After the number of NHS staff off work rose by 59 per cent in a week, trade unions urged ministers to delay making vaccines mandatory for health service workers in order to avoid making the staffing crisis worse.

Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said he was concerned by rising hospitalisations, particularly among older age groups.

He said: “I think we have to be honest and when we look at the NHS, it will be a rocky few weeks ahead.”