JCVI interim statement on phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccination programme

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is an independent expert advisory committee which advises the UK health departments on vaccination. In December 2020, JCVI advised the vaccination of nine key priority groups against COVID-19, covering all adults aged 50 years and over, and younger adults with underlying health conditions that put them at specific risk from COVID-19. This part of the programme, termed phase 1, began rollout in the UK from 8 December 2020. Phase 1 aims to reduce mortality from COVID-19, along with the protection of UK health and social care systems.
The programme has been a great success in terms of delivery, with over 18 million people vaccinated so far. Given the time taken for people to develop an immune response following vaccination, and the time between infection and disease, we are only just starting to see the impact of the programme on disease rates.[footnote 3] These early data are encouraging, and as time goes on, we hope to see more of an impact as more people are vaccinated and start to be protected from COVID-19.
The successful delivery of the phase 1 programme can be attributed to the exceptional efforts of the NHS, volunteers and community organisations and the operational simplicity of the programme. Programmes that are less complicated to organise are more able to be delivered at speed and are more likely to achieve high vaccine coverage.
Safety data from delivery of the programme so far in the UK indicate that the available vaccines are safe, although mild to moderate short-lived side effects such as a sore arm, headache or mild fever are relatively common. After considering safety data, JCVI advises that it remains acceptably safe to consider extending the programme to the remainder of the adult population aged less than 50 years old.
Data on hospitalisations due to COVID-19 indicate a number of admissions occur in people under the age of 50 years who would not be vaccinated in the first phase of the vaccination programme. JCVI has been asked by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to formulate advice on the optimal strategy to further reduce mortality, morbidity and hospitalisations from COVID-19 disease in the next phase of the programme.
Options considered for the next phase (phase 2) of the programme include:
1.direct protection of those at higher risk of serious disease and hospitalisation, including groups associated with an increased risk
2.targeted vaccination to reduce transmission of COVID-19 in the population, or
3.vaccination of occupational groups at higher risk of exposure
These groups are not mutually exclusive.