MORE than 200,000 people have signed a petition in protest of the UK’s decision to delay second Covid-19 vaccine shots by up to 12 weeks.

Debbie Oliver, an advanced nurse practitioner in Lancashire, started her change.org petition just a few days ago and it has been shared widely across social media, in a sign of public concern over the issue.

At the time of writing, the petition had amassed 205,000 signatures.

The decision to delay the second vaccine shots, made on the recommendation of the UK’s joint committee on vaccinations and immunisation (JCVI), has sparked widespread concern amongst experts, healthcare professionals and the vaccine producers themselves.

In a joint statement, Pfizer and BioNTech said: “The safety and efficacy of the vaccine has not been evaluated on different dosing schedules as the majority of trial participants received the second dose within the window specified in the study design.

“There is no data to demonstrate that protection after the first dose is sustained after 21 days.”

Experts from the World Health Organisation have also expressed concern, highlighting that there is no scientific evidence for a delay of more than six weeks in administering the second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against Covid.

Debbie says: "We want the UK Government; Matt Hancock and NHS England to vaccinate frontline workers/vulnerable public with the evidence-based dosing regime as per vaccine schedule not one they decide is better.

“We want 94% from Pfizer vaccine not 52% from one dose for 3 weeks only to be gambling with people's lives after week 3 in the misguided hope half protection is better than none.

“UK Government you are letting down all those who put their lives on the line (and those who lost lives). Do the right things and put back the correct dosing regime as per study data."

To view the petition, see www.change.org