They advised that the second dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine can be given between three to 12 weeks after the first dose and that the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine (Oxford) can be given between four to 12 weeks after the first dose.
The order of priority for clinical risk for vaccine implantation remains unchanged and applies to both vaccines.
The British Medical Association, however, said the 12-week extension was “difficult to justify” and should be changed to six weeks.
The doctors’ union said the UK’s strategy “has become increasingly isolated internationally” and, in a letter to Professor Whitty, called for that gap to be changed.
BMA chairman Dr. Chaand Nagpaul said: “What we are saying is that the UK should adopt this recommended practice based on international professional opinion.”