Britain said on it would prioritise making sure that more people receive their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine quickly over giving a second shot to those who have already had one, a change in strategy as the country battles record numbers of new coronavirus cases.

The decision will apply to the newly approved AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, as well as the Pfizer/BioNTech shot, which was rolled out in Britain three weeks ago. The first recipients of the latter have just started receiving their booster shots.

The dose interval for the Pfizer vaccine in Britain was changed from 21 days to “at least 21 days”, and for both vaccines, the second dose was advised to be given up to 12 weeks later. “This approach will maximise the benefits of both vaccines,” a health ministry spokesman said.

“It will ensure that more at-risk people are able to get meaningful protection from a vaccine in the coming weeks and months, reducing deaths and starting to ease pressure on our NHS.”

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