Considered a British success story and estimated to have saved millions of lives worldwide, the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine played a key role in starting the UK vaccination programme. But Professor Anthony Harnden, the deputy chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI), has suggested it is unlikely to be used in the future. “It was a fantastic vaccine, and it’s still a fantastic vaccine for the world … and the population that got AstraZeneca vaccines was naturally very well protected by it,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today program on Tuesday. “But the way the task force decided to buy the vaccines, we’re using mRNA vaccines now.” The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) confirmed to the Guardian that it had not placed further orders for the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and said the decision was due to the JCVI’s recommendation that mRNA vaccines – such as the Pfizer or Moderna jabs – should be used mainly for amplifiers. “Results from the Cov-Boost trial conducted in the summer of 2021 provided good evidence that mRNA vaccines are the most effective option for the UK booster programme,” said a JCVI spokesperson, noting that the vaccines provided a very good immune response regardless from which vaccine was used for previous doses. “Real-world data on post-booster vaccine efficacy support the results from the Cov-Boost trial,” they said. While the JCVI had previously advised that booster shots with the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine could occur in exceptional circumstances, the DHSC has now obtained supplies of the Novavax vaccine – approved by the MHRA in February – which the JCVI has recommended be offered to people who they cannot have mRNA vaccines for clinical reasons, such as allergic reactions. The Oxford/AstraZeneca jab has had a bumpy ride since its first results were released in 2020, including concerns about rare blood clot complications, misinformation — such as claims that the jab has low effectiveness in the elderly — and criticism of its trial design vaccine. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Adam Finn, professor of paediatrics at the University of Bristol and a member of the JCVI, said the committee could only advise on the development of vaccines the government decided to buy. He said the abundance of caution about the issue of blood clots in younger people was one reason the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine was not considered suitable for the recall program, along with the public’s perception of the vaccine. “Obviously, the entire success of the vaccine program depends on having a public commitment to accept the vaccine,” he said. The jab was also unlikely to be used for first and second doses, he suggested. “I think primary immunization [has] it’s pretty much stopped now, in the sense that anyone who wants a vaccine by now will have done it,” Finn said. In addition, the DHSC noted that those unable to have mRNA vaccine for their initial course could now be offered the Novavax vaccine. Simplicity matters, Finn suggested. “Operationally, the fewer vaccines you have, the easier the communication, the easier the logistics,” he said, adding that this also applies to the fall recall campaign. “The ideal scenario … would be to develop the new bivalent vaccine Moderna – just give it to everyone who is eligible for a booster and you have just one vaccine that everyone will get,” he said. “We just don’t know yet if we can match supply and demand to do that.” However, Harden told the Guardian that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine still played an important role in the global Covid response, noting that the UK had donated doses to the global Covax vaccine sharing programme. “[The jab] it is a very effective vaccine that does not have the same storage and transportation problems that mRNA vaccines have. So [it] it’s a very good vaccine for the developing world where temperature requirements may be more problematic,” he said. “JCVI makes recommendations on the choice of vaccines for UK supply”.
