How long does the covid vaccine take to work?

The coronavirus vaccine has been given to more than 3.8 million people in the UK so far and from Monday, January 18, more than five million people across the country will be invited to receive their jab. Now the vaccine will be given to the priority groups three and four which Prime Minister Boris Johnson called a “significant milestone”. But just how long does the vaccine take to work?

The UK has stepped up its mass vaccination programme in recent weeks in a bid to protect its citizens against Covid-19.

Three Covid vaccines have now been approved for mass use in the country and as of January 17, 3,857, 266 people have received the first dose of the vaccine according to the Government’s coronavirus dashboard.

In addition, 449,736 people have received the second dose of the vaccine.

Everyone must receive two doses of the vaccine, with the second being given three to 12 weeks after the first dose.

All three vaccines which have thus far been approved in the UK currently require two doses to be completely effective.

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The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine offers protection of 64.1 percent after at least one standard dose.

This compares to 70.4 percent if you have received two full doses.

Unusually, 90 percent of people who had one half dose followed by one full dose had up to 90 percent protection.

The Moderna vaccine was shown to provide up to 80.2 percent protection after one dose.

This compares to 95.6 percent after a second dose or 86.4 percent for people aged over 65.

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