Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to answer the Written Question asked by Baroness Deech on 8 February (HL13065); for what reasons their answer has been delayed; and when they expect to respond to the consultation on Statutory Storage Limits for eggs, sperm and embryos.
Answered by Lord Bethell
I responded to the noble Lady’s question on 12 March.
The Department has been considering the responses to the public consultation about egg, sperm and embryo storage limits and options for a revised scheme. A Government response to the consultation will follow in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to collect evidence of the effectiveness of the second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination being administered more than 21 days after the first.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Based on the data available to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation the first dose of either Pfizer/BioNTech or Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine provides substantial protection within two to three weeks of in particular for severe COVID-19 disease. The second vaccine dose is likely to be more important for duration and sustaining such protection. An appropriate dose interval may further increase vaccine efficacy. In the short term, the additional increase of vaccine efficacy from the second dose is likely to be modest as the great majority of the initial protection from clinical disease is after the first dose of vaccine.
Public Health England (PHE) is monitoring the effectiveness of the vaccines in the real world, including the effects of dosage schedules. Early data from PHE’s SIREN study shows a promising impact of vaccination on infection in healthcare workers aged under 65 years old.
Data shows one dose reduces the risk of catching infection by more than 70%, rising to 85% after the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the call by the Doctors' Association, reported in The Times on 21 January, to guarantee that all patients will be given their second COVID-19 vaccinations within 12 weeks of the first “at the absolute latest”.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Having studied evidence on both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has advised that we should prioritise giving as many people in at-risk groups their first dose, rather than providing two doses in as short a time as possible. The four United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers agree this will have the greatest impact on reducing mortality, severe disease and hospitalisations and in protecting the National Health Service and equivalent health services. The evidence shows that one dose of either vaccine provides a high level of protection from COVID-19.
For both vaccines, data provided to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency demonstrates that whilst efficacy is optimised when a second dose is administered, both offer considerable protection after a single dose, at least in the short term. Everyone will receive their second dose within 12 weeks of their first. The second dose completes the course and is important for longer term protection.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to renew their extension of the storage limit for frozen eggs, sperm and embryos, announced in April 2020, so that the limit covers the duration for which the restrictions in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic are in place.
Answered by Lord Bethell
There are no current plans to renew the two year extension to storage limits for frozen eggs, sperm and embryos. However, we will keep this under active review in the light of the impact of COVID-19 restrictions.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to publish the outcome of their consultation on gamete (egg, sperm) and embryo storage limits.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Department has been considering the responses to the public consultation. A Government response will follow in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the study from the Clalit Research Institute, published on 13 January, which found that the efficacy of one dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination was 33 per cent.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has reviewed preliminary data from the Clalit Research Institute on vaccine effect, including the vaccine effectiveness estimate at day 14 after the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The JCVI concluded that the results are preliminary and there is a need for greater clarity, including full information on the dataset, before further consideration or comment. The JCVI will review this data carefully once the full study details are released.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what evidence they have of the impact on the effectiveness of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination of postponing a second dose of the vaccination beyond 21 days from the first compared to giving such a dose within 21 days.
Answered by Lord Bethell
A phase three clinical trial study on COVID-19 vaccine efficacy demonstrated a two-dose vaccine efficacy of 95% with a second dose delivered between 19 and 42 days. A copy of the study Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine is attached.
Using data available from this study, Public Health England estimated that short term vaccine efficacy from the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to be approximately 89%. This is the efficacy calculated 15 to 21 days after the first dose.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s view is that protective immunity from the first dose likely lasts for a duration of 12 weeks.