The use of any new medicine or vaccination will always present an element of risk, which must be carefully balanced against the expected outcomes of not using it. We know that islanders will be interested in receiving a vaccine for COVID-19 but we also know that some will have doubts about its safety. We will continue to keep the community updated about the evidence emerging from clinical trials as soon as this is available and produce resources that will help all individuals make an evidence based choice about their vaccination offer.
Under normal circumstances vaccine development takes on average over five years. The use of whole genomic sequencing and second and third generation vaccine development techniques has significantly reduced this timescale for scientists developing potential COVID-19 vaccines.
Given the rate at which a vaccine is being developed, it is expected that a product which has not yet received a full marketing authorisation will be authorised for supply – on a temporary or conditional basis - by the Secretary of State in the UK. Regulation 174 of The Human Medicines Regulations 2012, which applies in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, makes provision for the Secretary of State to waive the usual requirements for an authorisation in a number of emergency-like situations, including in response to a suspected or confirmed pathogenic agent.
If a vaccine is subject to a temporary authorisation work will be ongoing with the appropriate medicines regulatory to ensure that the vaccine is licenced as soon as is possible.
Changes to local legislation will allow for any conditions that the UK enact to provide further safeguards around the administration of a vaccine that is temporarily authorised to be applied locally. This will mean that islanders will receive the vaccine in the same way and at the same time as UK residents.
