Half million most vulnerable in UK to get 3rd COVID vaccine dose

People with severely weakened immune systems in Britain will be offered a third coronavirus vaccine dose, British health authorities announced Wednesday, reported Xinhua.

The recommendation, made by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), an independent expert advisory committee that advises Britain's health departments on immunization, is separate from a potential booster programme that would cover a larger proportion of the population.

This extra dose will be offered to anyone over 12 who was severely immunosuppressed at the time of their first or second dose, including those with leukaemia, advanced HIV, and recent organ transplants.

The British government has been preparing for a booster programme expected from this month, while the World Health Organisation (WHO) said such shots should be delayed to raise vaccination rates globally.

In August, the WHO called for a moratorium on COVID vaccine booster shots to help ease the drastic inequity in dose distribution between wealthy and poor countries.

However, during a news briefing on Monday, Hans Kluge, the WHO regional director for Europe, said a booster shot is a way to keep the most vulnerable safe.

"A third dose of vaccine is not a luxury booster (that is) taken away from someone who is still waiting for a first jab. It's basically a way to keep the most vulnerable safe," Kluge said.

More than 88 percent of people aged 16 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and nearly 79 percent have received both doses, the latest figures showed.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.