Expert urges distraught caller to 'push back' against vaccine strategy change
3 January 2021, 13:54 | Updated: 3 January 2021, 13:57
Caller despairs at delay to second jab
After this distraught caller expressed her concern over a delay to her second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, this expert claimed that the change should never have been made.
Mo phoned in to Swarbrick on Sunday from North Finchley and told Tom Swarbrick she has "been in the house nine months waiting for the jab," and now that she's received her first dose, is distraught that she may have to wait up to three months to get the booster.
She claimed her American cousin told her that having the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine is "useless" until the second dose is taken adding that she cannot have the Oxford jab "because we've had the American [Pfizer] jab," which goes against the advice of Public Health England.
Professor Beate Kampmann of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine admitted that the sudden change "has caused a lot of confusion with the GPs as well who had already scheduled all of these appointments and we need the GPs to help us with the rollout."
"We need to push back maybe on this decision – I don't know how successful that will be – but for the Pfizer vaccine in my opinion we should be getting the second jab as it was anticipated."
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Mo said that she thought "at least we'd be able to go out," after having the first dose, but is now settling in to another three months of isolation because of the policy change.
"It's not been a waste of time" Professor Kampmann assured the caller. "You will get it."
She encouraged the pensioner to "get the second jab" and then she will be protected fully.
When Tom asked the caller whether she could see the sense in the change in strategy, Mo suggested that it was just another dose of confusion from those in power and has left her dejected.
Read More: Expert explains strategy behind second jab delays
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