Sarah Gilbert says Covid booster not needed for all

IT would be unnecessary to give Covid booster shots to everyone because immunity for most was "lasting well", the scientist behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine said.

Prof Dame Sarah Gilbert told the Daily Telegraph that vulnerable groups may require the booster jab but called for doses to be sent to countries in need

"We need to get vaccines to countries where few of the population have been vaccinated so far," she added.

Meanwhile, the UK vaccine advisory body is due to give its final advice on booster shots soon.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has already said a third dose should be offered to people with severely weakened immune systems, which accounts for up to half a million people in the UK.

But it has not decided if they are needed more widely, and who should be eligible.

Health secretary Sajid Javid said on Thursday (9) he was awaiting "final advice" from the JCVI but was "confident" a booster programme would rollout later this month.

The UK medicines regulator (MHRA) has approved the use of Pfizer and AstraZeneca as Covid booster vaccines.

Sarah added: "We will look at each situation; the immunocompromised and elderly will receive boosters.

"But I don't think we need to boost everybody. Immunity is lasting well in the majority of people."

She instead wants Britain to help more countries around the world with vaccine supply. "We have to do better in this regard. The first dose has the most impact."