Isle of Man to receive population-based share of new vaccine

The start of the roll-out of the first vaccine approved will start as planned on Monday

The Isle of Man will receive a population-based share of doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine ordered by the UK, the island's public health director has said.

Henrietta Ewart said the approval should mean a two-dose programme across the full population could be completed.

The roll-out the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine vaccine would still start as planned on Monday, she added.

The Oxford vaccine was approved for use in the UK on Wednesday.

A total of 377 people on the island have tested positive for Covid-19 since March, and 25 people have died.

There are currently four active cases.

Quantities of each of the vaccines are made available based on the Isle of Man's population as a percentage of the overall population of the UK and the Crown Dependencies, meaning the island will receive 0.13% of the total vaccinations ordered by the UK should the government choose to roll them out to everyone.

However, a timeline for the roll-out of the vaccine to all age groups has not been outlined.

Dr Ewart said while she did not anticipate a long wait for delivery of the doses of the new vaccine, it was not possible to say they would arrive.

The government was awaiting paperwork and training materials, she said.

Although the new vaccine "should be a game changer" in the pandemic, she urged people to "continue to push to keep the island Covid-free" while the roll-out took place.

Keeping the virus at bay would mean people could "enjoy living with the considerable freedoms that we have" and ensure the roll-out could be undertaken without extra precautions such as PPE and social distancing.

As the Oxford vaccine was easier to administer due to being stored at regular fridge temperatures, it should eventually be rolled out to sites including GP surgeries and pharmacies, she added.