COVID-19 vaccination: BioNTech/Pfizer

People aged 60 and above are at the greatest risk of severe morbidity and mortality from COVID-19. The efficacy of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine in the elderly exceeds all expectations. Accordingly, the Council recommends that as much of this vaccine as possible should be reserved for this group, and that vaccination should start with the oldest age group. This is in keeping with the Council’s previous advisory report on vaccination strategies. A limited amount of vaccine could be used to vaccinate care workers, in order to protect vulnerable elderly people and to safeguard the continuity of healthcare. The Committee believes that care workers in general could be vaccinated using the AstraZeneca vaccine. Current projections show that large quantities of this vaccine could be delivered in the first quarter of 2021.