Covid: Plan to vaccinate 50k islanders in Jersey by April

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is easier to transport and store than others

It is hoped a newly-approved coronavirus vaccine will help vaccinate almost 50,000 people in Jersey by April, health bosses have said.

The UK medicine regulator has approved the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

It is much easier to transport and store than the Pfizer/BioNtech one already in use, and is also cheaper.

Deputy medical officer of health Dr Ivan Muscat said, once it arrived in Jersey, the focus would be on rolling out first doses.

He said this would help the whole island achieve immunity from Covid-19 more quickly as people would be ready for the required second dose sooner, rather than getting two doses in clusters while others awaited their first injection.

The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has authorised two full doses of the Oxford vaccine, with the second dose to be given four to 12 weeks after the first.

The UK government has ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine.

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