Asked by: Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the requirements of the contract they awarded to Wockhardt Ltd, to help in the production of COVID-19 vaccines, are currently being fulfilled.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is currently being filled and finished at the Wockhardt site.
The Government has recently extended Wockhardt’s contract from 18 to 24 months to ensure that we have uninterrupted capability into 2022. Specific details of contract fulfillment are commercially sensitive.
Asked by: Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the duration of protection from COVID-19 provided by (1) the Oxford/AstraZeneca, and (2) the Pfizer/BioNTech, vaccine; and what estimate they have made of the length of time a person who receives (a) only a first dose, and (b) two doses, of (i) the Oxford/AstraZeneca and (ii) the Pfizer/BoNTech, vaccine is protected from COVID-19.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The total length of protection from vaccines against COVID-19 is not yet fully understood. Vaccine developers and manufacturers continue to collect data on the performance of their vaccines. Through their surveillance strategy Public Health England (PHE) continues to assess the effectiveness of vaccines, including duration of protection. A copy of PHE’s COVID-19 vaccine surveillance Strategy is attached.
On 26 January the Joint Committee on Vaccine and Immunisation (JCVI) published an online report, Optimising the COVID-19 vaccination programme for maximum short-term impact. The report found that short-term vaccine efficacy from the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is calculated at around 90% and from the first dose of the Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine is calculated at around 70%, with high protection against severe disease.
Given the high level of protection afforded by the first dose, models suggest that initially vaccinating a greater number of people with a single dose will prevent more deaths and hospitalisations than vaccinating a smaller number of people with two doses. The second dose is important to provide longer lasting protection and is expected to be as or more effective when delivered at an interval of 12 weeks from the first dose. The JCVI has based their advice on the assumption that protection from a first dose of either vaccination will wane in the medium term and that a second dose will offer more long term protection.
Asked by: Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the optimum gap between the first and second dose of (1) the Oxford/AstraZeneca, and (2) the Pfizer/BioNTech, COVID-19 vaccine for securing the longest period of protection against COVID-19.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA’s) Information for Healthcare Professionals regarding the Pfizer vaccine states that a second dose of it should be given at least 21 days after the first dose. For the AstraZeneca vaccine, the Information for Healthcare Professionals states that the second dose should be given between four and 12 weeks after the first dose. This advice is based on clinical trial data and other information submitted to MHRA by the manufacturer.
Based on trial data showing the effectiveness of both vaccines, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised that both vaccines should be given up to 12 weeks apart. The JCVI also advised that priority should be given to having a greater number of people given a first dose, which would have a greater public health impact than prioritising second doses.
Asked by: Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the quantity of glass vials that will be needed to distribute COVID-19 vaccines, (2) the capacity to manufacture these vials, and (3) any procurement or delivery issues that may arise.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The procurement of vials is the responsibility of the manufacturer and the United Kingdom Government has actively engaged with each manufacturer regarding manufacturing capacity, procurement and delivery to ensure enough stock is available, providing additional support where required. The UK has a sufficient number of glass vials available, due to orders already placed with manufacturers.
Asked by: Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the guidance included in the guideline by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Spondyloarthritis in over 16s: diagnosis and management, published on 28 February 2017.
Answered by Lord Bethell
No specific assessment has been made.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines describe best practice but are not mandatory, although health and care commissioners are expected to take them fully into account.
Asked by: Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to implement the guideline by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Spondyloarthritis in over 16s: diagnosis and management, published on 28 February 2017.
Answered by Lord Bethell
No specific assessment has been made.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines describe best practice but are not mandatory, although health and care commissioners are expected to take them fully into account.
Asked by: Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) estimate they made, and (2) audit they undertook, of the potential (a) demand, and (b) availability, of sub-60 degree freezer capacity in the UK prior to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine rollout in 2020.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Public Health England (PHE) is responsible for the central storage and distribution of ultra-low temperature COVID-19 vaccines. In its preparations to receive vaccines, PHE determined the freezer capacity requirement to support the United Kingdom programme during summer 2020 and secured the freezers against that requirement. These were commissioned and in service before arrival of the vaccine. They provide sufficient storage for approximately five million doses of COVID-19 vaccines which require minus 60 degree Celsius storage or below.
Asked by: Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many freezer units capable of sub-60 degree storage of COVID-19 vaccines are available for use by the NHS in (1) England, (2) Northern Ireland, (3) Scotland, and (4) Wales; and where such units are located.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Public Health England has 58 ultra-low temperature freezers which provide sufficient storage for approximately five million doses of COVID-19 vaccines which require minus 60-degree Celsius storage or lower.
The ultra-low temperature freezers are located in two national storage facilities within Great Britain and Northern Ireland, to manage the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines across the four nations. The location of the facilities are not disclosed to maintain the integrity of the sites.
At a regional level the National Health Service has made preparations including sourcing of ultra-low temperature storage to support local delivery.
Asked by: Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many pharmacies (1) are currently available, or (2) can be made available, to distribute COVID-19 vaccines in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, and (d) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Bethell
From 14 January, six community pharmacies in England started to offer the COVID-19 vaccination service, with an additional 65 pharmacy-led sites joining from the week commencing 21 January. More pharmacies will be stood up over the coming weeks and months.
The Department, NHS England and NHS Improvement and community pharmacy representative bodies will be working together to establish how community pharmacies’ role could be expanded further in the vaccination programme.
As health is a devolved matter, the commissioning of community pharmacies to provide COVD-19 vaccination in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are decisions for the respective devolved administrations.
Asked by: Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how effective (1) an adenovirus vector, and (2) an mRNA, COVID-19 vaccine is if a person only receives one of the two doses required under the vaccination protocols.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended that as many people on the JCVI’s priority list as possible should be offered a first vaccine dose as the initial priority. One dose of the vaccine offers important protection and allows us to reach as many at risk people as possible in order to offer protection until the second dose can be administered. All individuals will subsequently receive a second dose in due course.
It can be assumed that protection from the first dose will require boosting in order to provide more durable protection. The JCVI supports a two-dose vaccine schedule for the Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines.