The COVID-19 vaccination rate in the UK exceeds that of any other country in Europe and is on track to be the first country in the continent to control the pandemic through vaccination. Incidentally, Europe remains one of the worst affected regions in the world and must use the UK as a gold standard to step up vaccinations to prevent the further resurgence of the COVID-19 cases, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Katie Wrenn, MPH, Epidemiologist at GlobalData, comments: “The rapid approval and early negotiations for the supply of both the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine gave the UK a head start in vaccine distribution. Other factors such as a vast distribution network and easy booking system have also contributed to this rate.”

 The UK also worked to ensure that vaccination sites are easily accessible to all, with mass vaccination sites set up in establishments such as sports grounds to increase the volume of people vaccinated each day.

Wrenn continues: “Public attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccine also differ between the countries across Europe. In regions with a high proportion of vaccine sceptics, governments must launch education campaigns to increase vaccine uptake.”

Unlike most other European countries, the UK has adopted the first-dose priority approach to vaccine distribution. This approach extends the gap between the first and second vaccine dose to a maximum of 12 weeks instead of the initially recommended three to four weeks.

Other countries have raised concerns over the decreased vaccine effectiveness using this method. However, recent trials performed in the UK, Brazil and South Africa testing the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine showed increased vaccine protection with increased dose interval.

Wrenn concludes: “Alongside increasing the efficiency, this method provides protection to more people in a shorter time period and should be strongly considered by all other European countries.”