YOUNG people are getting their second Covid jab weeks early to escape on an overseas summer holiday without having to quarantine, it has been reported today.
Vaccination centres are quietly bending the rules to offer doses before the official eight to 12-week gap.
Two Covid jabs offer the most protection against the bug, with research recommending an eight week gap between each vaccination.
However, with younger Brits only offered their first Covid jab in June, the prospect of an overseas holiday in summer appeared unlikely with many countries requiring both doses to enter.
A minister told the Mail on Sunday that centres had been encouraged to be “more reasonable” to push take-up in younger people.
A notice was put up outside a London pharmacy advising anyone who had their first dose in the last week of June could now get their second.
In Essex, a surgery last week invited people who had the first vaccine five weeks ago or more to turn up to avoid doses going to waste.
And in south London, a GP surgery is discreetly offering second jabs to anyone beyond the four-week mark.
Other centres told the MoS they would accept an email from a GP saying patients were due to go abroad and needed to be double-jabbed sooner to avoid quarantining on their return to the UK.
One doctor said undergoing chemotherapy, having an operation or going on holiday were the three main reasons to slash the gap between doses.
While some have criticised the “lottery”, the minister said the promise of foreign holidays was a great way to get younger people protected.
GAP SLASHED
Under the current traffic light rules, Brits travelling from amber list countries who have not had both vaccines have to quarantine for 10 days and pay for PCR tests on days two and eight, as well as a test before they land.
Those who are double jabbed only have to provide negative tests before they return and on day two.
The Government advises an eight to 12-week gap between first and second Covid vaccine doses to ensure the body’s immune system produces enough infection-fighting antibodies.
It means many younger people who were offered their first doses towards the end of June are still weeks away from being officially eligible for their second.
And many are currently put off by the “unfair” cost of the mandatory tests for travel – so an early second dose is welcome.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid wrote to the Competition and Markets Authority to complain about the extortionate prices.
“For too many people the cost of PCR testing can act as a barrier, especially for families who want to travel together,” he said.
“We have all experienced enormous disruption to our lives over this pandemic but it is not right if some families experience yet further disruption unnecessarily because of potentially unfair practices in the market for private travel tests.”
