Coronavirus: Vaccination

(asked on 11th May 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment (1) ministers, (2) the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, (3) the Chief Medical Officer, and (4) the Chief Scientific Officer, have made of the study 'Safety and immunogenicity of one versus two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2 for patients with cancer: interim analysis of a prospective observational study', published in the Lancet Oncology on 27 April.


Answered by
Lord Bethell Portrait
Lord Bethell
This question was answered on 14th June 2021

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) was sent the pre-print article on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines on cancer patients, ‘Interim results of the safety and immune-efficacy of 1 versus 2 doses of COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2 for cancer patients in the context of the UK vaccine priority guidelines’, on 15 March 2021, which was discussed at its meeting on 16 March 2021. The minutes of the meeting will be published in due course.

No specific assessment of the article, published in the Lancet Oncology on 27 April, has been made by the Department, the Chief Medical Officer, or the Chief Scientific Officer.

The Government’s approach towards COVID-19 is informed by a wide variety of scientific information that is under constant review by a variety of organisations. This particular study was referenced on page 17 of Public Health England’s (PHE) “COVID-19 vaccination: information for healthcare practitioners”, which is attached. In light of the study, the guidance states that specialists may advise their patients based on their knowledge and understanding of their immune status and likely immune response to vaccination but should also consider the risk from COVID-19 and the patient’s likelihood of exposure.

PHE’s “COVID-19 vaccination: information for healthcare practitioners” is a document about the COVID-19 vaccination programme thar is intended for healthcare staff involved in delivering the programme. It includes detailed information on the background of the programme, the vaccines (as they become available), vaccine recommendations and eligibility, contraindications and precautions, and vaccine administration issues. A copy of the document is attached.

Reticulating Splines