Frontline healthcare workers, over-50s and people with underlying conditions should be prioritised if a Covid-19 vaccine is developed, new advice has recommended.
Health and social care workers are the highest priority due to the personal risk they face, as well as the risk of passing the infection on to vulnerable patients, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said.
People over 50 and people with underlying illness including chronic heart disease, obesity or dementia are next on a list published on Thursday.
The committee said current evidence “strongly indicates” the risk of serious disease and death increases with age and in people who have underlying health conditions.
“Therefore, after health and social care workers, the committee advises the prioritisation of vaccination using a mortality risk-based approach,” it said.
The interim advice was compiled based on a review of epidemiological data in the UK on the impact of the pandemic so far, the committee said.
It will be kept under review and updated as more information becomes available, it added.
Speaking at the Downing Street press conference, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “As we learn more about the virus we will continue to take into account which groups may be particularly vulnerable, including, for example, those from ethnic minority backgrounds so we can protect the most at risk first, should a vaccine become available, and get this country back on our feet as soon as we possibly can.”
The committee acknowledged that it remains unknown whether a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine can be developed, and if so when it might become available.
