It's is
political because ultimately Boris (World King) / cabinet / Boris, Hancock & Zahawi*, chose to delay second dose.
Why did the govt decide to delay the second dose
The government initially planned to give people their second dose within three weeks of their first dose, following the evidence collected in trials. In early January, following advice from the JCVI and the chief medical officers of the four nations, it decided to delay the second dose to within three months, in order to give more people a first dose more quickly.
The JCVI cited studies, including of the Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines, which suggested the first dose alone offers good protection in the short-term, while the second dose offers longer durability. But epidemiologists are divided, with some, including the World Health Organization, arguing this evidence is too patchy and advocating for additional research and a more cautious approach. Companies, including Pfizer, have also expressed doubts over diverging from the timeline they tested.
One risk is that the single dose may prove to be less effective, with immunity lapsing quickly. The government’s judgement is that – given the current scale of transmission and hospitalisation in the UK, the potential benefit of the “first dose first” strategy, and its ability to monitor efficacy – this is a risk worth taking.
Another is that half-vaccinating people could encourage more vaccine-resistant strains of the virus. While it appears current vaccines will be effective against the variant that emerged in Kent, their effectiveness against the South African variant is unclear. A key question this year will be whether vaccines can stay ahead of further mutations.
Politicians’ appetite for risk will be influenced by factors including the severity of the crisis they are facing. The US, also suffering from a spike in cases and hospitalisations, is considering a “first dose first” strategy like the UK’s, as are Germany and Ireland. Other countries facing a less perilous situation – including Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and Japan – have opted to wait for more data as populations around the world begin to react to vaccination.
The vaccine rollout is the responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
*In December, the prime minister appointed Nadhim Zahawi as minister for Covid-19 vaccinations, based in the health department. The prime minister and Matt Hancock, the health secretary, will also be held accountable for oversight of the programme.