London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 30, 2025

UK 'running short' on Pfizer vaccine with some Brits  having 2nd jabs delayed

UK 'running short' on Pfizer vaccine with some Brits having 2nd jabs delayed

A TOP doctor yesterday warned Britain is “running short” on Pfizer - piling pressure on science chiefs to tear up orders not to give the Oxford vaccine to under 40s.

Dr Clare Gerada, who sits on the NHS Assembly, said some people are having their second jabs pushed back because they have “very few Pfizer” in stock.

Downing Street yesterday denied Britain has been hit by a Pfizer shortage


But the country is awash with Oxford jabs, she said. She told the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme: “At the moment, we've mainly got the AstraZeneca vaccine and very few Pfizer.

“We've been calling people for the AstraZeneca and actually cancelling people for the Pfizer as our supplies are running short.”

Downing Street yesterday denied Britain has been hit by a Pfizer shortage. But the government refuses to say how many jabs it has in stock or arriving soon.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which rules on who should get what jabs, decided in May that under 40s should be offered an alternative to the Oxford vaccine.

They made the decision after it was revealed younger adults have a very very small risk of blood clots from the vaccine.

The JCVI said they made the decision out of an abundance of caution. But as infection rates climb and Britain races to try to double jab everyone at lightning-quick speed, they are under pressure to reverse the edict.

Dr Simon Clarke, of the University of Reading, said: “The government should look again at this. We have to remember that the risk of Covid is higher than the risk from a vaccine even in young people.

“As long as people know what they’re getting I see no problem with it. The previous variants were less of a concern but this whole thing is a balance and the increase in transmissibility has shifted that balance so we need to be more cautious.”

Dr Clare Gerada sits on the NHS Assembly


SAGE member and Cambridge University professor, Sir David Spiegelhalter said: “The benefit/risk balance for the AZ vaccine depends crucially on how much virus is circulating.

“I’m sure that JCVI will be looking very closely at the rising case numbers in young people.”


A JCVI spokesman said: “We have confidence in the government’s current vaccine supply and our advice remains that there is a preference for an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine to be offered to those under 40 years of age.”

The PM’s spokesman denied Britain has been hit by a Pfizer shortage.

He added: “I wouldn't seek to speak to the JCVI as I said yesterday that they're an independent body, they keep the evidence under review.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
Explosive Email Shows Sarah Ferguson Begged Forgiveness from Jeffrey Epstein After Taking His Money
×