Coronavirus in numbers: UK cases rise by 29,547
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The unprecedented immunisation efforts in the UK have helped dodge hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 infections. The threat of waning immunity following vaccination, however, has added substantial pressure to the vaccination campaign. Scientists have identified which groups of individuals may be at greater risk of severe outcomes following double-vaccination.
Researchers have calculated the risk of severe infection among different groups of individuals using a tool based on existing datasets.
The tool is able to accurately predict those most at risk of serious outcomes from 14 or more days after a second vaccination dose.
It revealed than older people, men, and individuals from ethnic background are more likely to be admitted to hospital or die after receiving two shots of the vaccine against COVID-19, according to researchers.
Other groups at greater risk of severe COVID-19 were care home residents and individuals with underlying conditions including kidney disease, sickle cell disease, HIV/Aids, Down’s Syndrome and liver cirrhosis.
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A sample of more than 6.9 million vaccinated adults was analysed, of whom 5.2 million had received both doses of the vaccine.
Professor Aziz Sheikh, of the University of Edinburgh and co-author of the paper, said: “I think the fact that some of the ethnic variations are diminishing suggests that a lot of this was because it’s socially patterned – perhaps because of occupational risk considerations.
“I think with the two subgroups that remain, this is speculative, but these groups – the Indians and Pakistanis do tend to have slightly higher household sizes and so there may be that kind of within household transmission going on.
The team hope the tool will help inform patient’s decisions to continue shielding, and form policy around booster vaccines as well as COVID-19 treatment.
Researchers noted that the findings of the study, published in the British Medical Journal, may be limited by factors such as background information including occupation, which is rarely included in hospital records.
They added that cases of severe infection remained relatively rare following immunisation.
The study comes soon after it was announced that a third dose of the vaccine would be offered as a booster shot to individuals aged 50 or over, in a bid curb infections in the approaching winter months.
Around 30 million people will be eligible for the booster shots, which will aim to protect against waning immunity among those who have received two shots.
Individuals living in care home and frontline health and social care workers will also be eligible for the third dose.
In addition, people aged 16 to 49 years with underlying health conditions with put them at risk of severe infection will also be able to claim the jab.
Professor Wei Shen Lim, Chair of COVID-19 Immunisation for the JCVI, said: “The JCVI is advising that a booster dose be offered to the more vulnerable to maximise individual protection ahead of an unpredictable winter.
“Most of these people will also be eligible for the annual flu vaccine and we strongly advise them to take up this offer as well.”
The decision came is it emerged 40 percent of individuals with impaired immune could not mount a strong response even after two shorts of vaccine, according to a recent Octave study.
Commenting on the success of the vaccination program, Boris Johnson said: “The result of this vaccination campaign is we have one of the most free societies and one of the most open economies in Europe.
“That’s why we’re not sticking with our strategy.”
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