Covid Vaccine Rollout Brought Forward To Next Month – NHS Claim ‘New Variant Discovered’

The scheduled autumn rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination has been brought forward by a month, with the new strain being billed as ‘alarming’, but ‘not a variant of concern’. 

The strain, identified as BA.2.86, is ‘the most alarming new variant since Omicron initially surfaced’, according to NHS officials. It also has a lot of mutations, according to scientists – but, confusingly, it is also not being officially classed as a “variant of concern.”

Instead of the originally scheduled start date of October, vaccination campaigns targeted at nursing home residents and people with impaired immune systems will instead begin on September 11.

Carers, expectant mothers, social workers, and people 65 years of age and older will all receive booster injections this coming winter after the most vulnerable group.

Dame Jenny Harries, UK Health Security Agency chief executive, said: “As we continue to live with COVID-19, we expect to see new variants emerge.

“Thanks to the success of our vaccine programme, we have built strong, broad immune defences against new variants throughout the population. However, some people remain more vulnerable to severe illness from COVID-19.”

A medical worker prepares a dose of the “Cominarty” Pfizer-Bivalent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at a vaccination center in Nice as a new surge in the COVID-19 outbreak starts in France, December 7, 2022. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

Dame Jenny acknowledged the complexity of estimating the potential impact of BA.2.86, citing limited available data.

“As is the case with all emerging and circulating COVID-19 variants, both within the UK and on a global scale, we will continue to closely monitor BA.2.86 and provide guidance to the government and the public as our understanding grows,” she asserted.

The NHS said it will work swiftly “to ensure as many eligible people as possible are vaccinated by the end of October”.

Steve Russell, Director of Vaccinations and Screening at the NHS, acknowledged the traditional peak of flu and COVID cases in December and January but highlighted the augmented risk due to the new variant.

“While we know that flu and COVID usually hit hardest in December and January, the new COVID variant presents a greater risk now, which is why we will be ensuring as many people as possible are vaccinated against COVID sooner,” he said.