Waiting time between vaccines is 'to be halved to four weeks' as No10 urges jabs roll-out to be sped up amid surging cases of the Delta variant with Freedom Day looming

No10 asked Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to give advice
Officials want interval reduced from the eight weeks stated in current guidance
The discussion comes amid surging cases of the now-dominant Delta variant

Published: 01:06 BST, 11 July 2021 | Updated: 01:09 BST, 11 July 2021

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The wait time between the first and second dose of the Covid vaccine is 'to be halved to four weeks' as No10 urges the jabs roll-out to be sped up with Freedom Day looming.

Officials have asked the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to provide immediate advice on reducing the interval from the eight weeks stated in current guidance, The Sunday Times has said.

Public Health England's vaccination instructions issued to doctors and nurses states that for the AstraZeneca and Pfizer jabs 'there is evidence of better immune response and/or protection where longer intervals between doses are used'.

JCVI scientists will now compare the benefits of an extra immune response provided by a longer gap between doses to the vulnerability of people who have had only a single jab.

The reduction, if approved, would open up the prospect of quarantine-free foreign travel for millions who would otherwise have had to wait a further month to receive their second does.

The wait time between the first and second dose of the Covid vaccine is 'to be halved to four weeks' as No10 urges the jabs roll-out to be sped up with Freedom Day looming (stock image)

The discussion comes amid surging cases of the now-dominant Delta variant - which is better able than others to evade the first dose - with Freedom Day looming.

But Boris Johnson is to press ahead with the lifting of Covid rules on July 19 despite increasing pressure last night from some doctors and scientists to delay the move.

The Prime Minister is expected to confirm tomorrow that all restrictions will be removed next week - with No 10 sources saying that Mr Johnson trusted in 'the innate good sense of the British people' not to embrace their new liberties 'recklessly'.

The pledge came after the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AMRC) warned yesterday that the number of cases was 'rising dramatically' and the NHS was under unprecedented pressure.

Yesterday, the UK recorded 32,367 new Covid cases and 34 deaths after the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges warned that the number of cases was 'rising dramatically

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairwoman of the AMRC, said she was 'profoundly concerned' about removing all restrictions on July 19.

'There seems to be a misapprehension that life will return to normal from then and that we can throw away all the precautions and, frankly, that would be dangerous,' she said.

But a Government source said: 'It is still full steam ahead, but we are trusting people to behave cautiously.

'There are going to be some difficult days ahead, but it is better that we open up now with the school holidays upon us than when they are back in the classrooms in the autumn.'

Boris Johnson is to press ahead with the lifting of Covid rules on July 19 despite increasing pressure last night from some doctors and scientists to delay the move

Yesterday, the UK recorded 32,367 new Covid cases and 34 deaths.

Almost 45.8 million people have received the first dose of the vaccine – equivalent to 86.9 per cent of adults - while 65.6 per cent have received both jabs.

Ministers have urged Mr Johnson to let double-jabbed tourists come to the UK from July 19 – or risk devastating the domestic holiday market.

The Cabinet has been split over how to open up travel, with some warning against a phased reopening that prioritises people who have been double-jabbed in the UK.

Despite this, a staggered approach was announced last week after the Border Force said it wouldn't cope with a full reopening, sources told The Mail on Sunday.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said that from July 19, people who have received both jabs from the NHS will be able to visit amber-list countries without having to self-isolate on returning to the UK.

MailOnline has contacted No10 for comment on reducing the vaccination interval.