Can I choose which vaccine to get in the UK?
THE two main vaccines being rolled out across the UK are the ones developed by Pfizer and AstraZeneca.
Here’s how the two compare.
Can I choose which vaccine to get in the UK?
The short answer is simply no.
The NHS says: “The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has not advised a preference between the Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in any specific population, stating that ‘both give very high protection against severe disease… and both vaccines have good safety profiles’.”
The coronavirus vaccine programme is offering vaccines in line with the supply of vaccines available.
However, in certain circumstances the NHS may advise you to have a certain vaccine if you have other medical conditions.
Which jab is better AstraZeneca or Pfizer?
It is not really a case of which vaccine is better as they both provide a high level of resistance to the coronavirus.
It’s more about the differences between them.
Pfizer
The Pfizer vaccine is made using messenger RNA, or mRNA, a technology that delivers a bit of genetic code to cells – in effect, a recipe to make the surface protein (known as spike) on the SARS-2 virus.
The proteins made with the mRNA instructions trigger the immune system, teaching it to see the spike protein as foreign and develop antibodies and other immunity weapons with which to fight it.
The Pfizer vaccine has been authorised for use for people aged 16 and older.
The Pfizer/BioNTech jab costs around £15 a jab.
Analysis from Public Health England found the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine reduces the risk of catching infection by more than 70 per cent after a first dose.
That risk is reduced by 85 percent after a second dose.
The vaccine appeared to be more or less equally protective across age groups and racial and ethnic groups.
AstraZeneca
The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine acts in a different way.
Effectively they use a Trojan Horse to get inside the body and attack the coronavirus.
Using a virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees, scientists adapted their existing vaccine technology by adding in one of the genes from the new virus.
The vaccine ‘smuggles’ the coronavirus gene into human cells to make the spike protein – the unique signature of Covid-19 – which the immune system builds up a response to.
The Oxford vaccine is believed to be relatively cheap to make – with estimates at around £3 per jab.
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The AstraZeneca vaccine is also highly effective in providing protection from the coronavirus.
Just one shot of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid jab slashes older people’s risk of being taken to hospital with the disease by 94 per cent, figures show.
Pooled data on both vaccines shows that in the over-80s — the highest risk group for Covid deaths — the chances of needing a stay in hospital fell by 81 per cent.