NHS in England prepares for Moderna jab
People who receive a Moderna Covid-19 jab will be asked to wait for 15 minutes of observation after they receive their vaccine.
Details about the vaccine have been published by the Government as it prepares for the vaccine to be rolled out across England.
The Department of Health and Social Care reiterated that the jab will be rolled out from mid-April after first doses have already been delivered in Wales and Scotland.
A 24-year-old carer from Wales was the first Briton to receive the jab last week.
Elle Taylor, from Ammanford, got the jab at the West Wales General Hospital in Carmarthen on April 7.
If you’re aged 50 or above and haven’t received your 1st dose of the covid vaccine yet, please book an appointment ASAP. Book online or call 119. It’s quick and simple to book, and the vaccines are safe and effective!Find out more here: https://t.co/9yc6cy0fBb #Vaccine pic.twitter.com/sWNei6zinF
— NHS Southend CCG (@SouthendCCG) April 12, 2021
Now more details about the vaccine have been published on the Public Health England website including information on the dose, the interval between first and second jab, the storage temperature and whether people who receive the jab will need to be observed afterwards.
The jab needs to be stored at -25C to -15C, which is not quite as cold as the ultra low temperature needed for the storage of the Pfizer vaccine, which needs to be stored at -80C to -60C.
Once it has been thawed it can be stored for 2C to 8C for up to 30 days, giving it a slightly longer shelf life than the Pfizer jab which can only be stored for five days after it has been thawed.
Delighted that we will begin the UK rollout of the @moderna_tx vaccine in west Wales today.
The UK government has secured doses on behalf of the entire nation.
3 in 5 adults have now had the vaccine and it’s saving lives. When you get the call, get the jab.
🇬🇧
— Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) April 7, 2021
The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine does not need to be frozen and can be stored at 2C to 8C for six months or “until expiry”.
The minimum interval between first and second dose of the Moderna vaccine is 28 days, the same as the AstraZeneca jab.
And patients who receive the Moderna jab will need to wait at the vaccination centre and be observed for a period of 15 minutes after they receive the vaccine.
This is the same as the requirement for the Pfizer vaccine.
Those who receive the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine do not need observation but they are advised not to drive for 15 minutes after the jab.