London, Nov 29 (PTI) The UK government on Monday announced to expand its COVID-19 booster vaccination programme, accepting the updated advice from scientists to extend the offer of a third top-up vaccine dose to all adults over the age of 18 and also to halve the minimum gap between second and third doses from six to three months.

UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid told the House of Commons that he had accepted the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice in full because vaccines remain the “best line of defence” against COVID-19, including the new Omicron variant.

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The minister stressed that while there is little knowledge about the new variant, it is unlikely that vaccines would not at least prevent severe disease.

"In this race between the vaccines and the virus, the new variant may have given the virus extra legs," Javid told Parliament.

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“Against this backdrop of this new variant we want to go further and faster… It [booster dose change] represents a huge step up for our vaccination programme. Almost doubling the number of people who will be able to get a booster dose to protect themselves and their loved ones,” he said.

The minister reiterated that “COVID-19 has not gone away” and that it is expected that the number of Omicron variant cases will rise in the UK over the coming days from the current figure of 11.

The new variant has now been reported in many countries, including Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal.

Javid hosted an urgent virtual G7 meeting on the issue and updated Parliament that ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US had agreed on “urgent action” against the threat of the new, “highly transmissible” variant of COVID-19.

Earlier, the JCVI confirmed that its updated advice to expand the booster vaccine programme is intended to increase the body's immunity while scientists around the world study the makeup of the new Omicron variant, first detected in southern Africa.

Among other updated recommendations, the JCVI also advise that children aged 12 to 15 should be invited for a second jab three months after their first and severely immunosuppressed people should be offered a fourth dose of a COVID-19 vaccine over and above three previous doses.

"Having a booster dose of the vaccine will help to increase our level of protection against the Omicron variant,” Professor Wei Shen Lim, JCVI chair, said at a Downing Street briefing on Monday.

“This is an important way for us to reduce the impact of this variant on our lives, especially in the coming months… We want to provide boosters early enough... before any possible wave,” he explained.

Early evidence suggests the new Omicron variant – initially reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) from South Africa last Wednesday – has a higher re-infection risk and it remains unclear how effective the current vaccines will prove against it.

England's Deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, said scientists around the world agree that the Omicron variant is "of increased concern", but stressed that there remains a "high degree of current uncertainty" about it.

"I want to be clear that this is not all doom and gloom at this stage and I do not want people to panic at this stage,” said Van-Tam.

"If vaccine effectiveness is reduced as seems pretty likely to some extent, the biggest effects are likely to be in preventing infections and hopefully there will be smaller effects on preventing severe disease. But that is something that is there for scientists to work out in the next few weeks,” he said, adding that the booster campaign is of vital importance in preparing for what's in store from the “new kid on the block” Omicron.

The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) Chief Executive, Dr June Raine, added that their thorough vaccines review and monitoring had shown that it is safe for those aged 12 to 15 to have a second vaccine dose.

"Our message to people aged 12-15 is that it is safe to have a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine and if you're called to receive your second dose, please go and take that offer. It will ensure that you're further protected from COVID-19,” said Raine.

Meanwhile, it is hoped that tighter measures such as compulsory face coverings in shops, public transport and other indoor settings could buy more time for scientists to gain a greater understanding of the new COVID variant.

The measure along with compulsory PCR tests for incoming international travellers will be in force across the UK from early on Tuesday.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)