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Covid-19: Approval of UK trial Vaccines for Covid Status Certification

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A decision made on 16 June 2021

Decision Reference:  MD-HSS-2021-0025

 

Decision Summary Title :

Approval of UK trial vaccines for COVID Status Certification  

Date of Decision Summary:

16 June 2021

Decision Summary Author:

 

Senior Policy Officer, SPPP

Decision Summary:

Public or Exempt?

(State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)

Public

Type of Report:

Oral or Written?

Written

Person Giving

Oral Report:

 

Written Report

Title :

Approval of UK trial vaccines for COVID Status Certification  

Date of Written Report:

 16 June 2021

Written Report Author:

Senior Policy Officer, SPPP

Written Report:

Public or Exempt?

(State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)

Public

Subject:  

Approval of UK trial vaccines for COVID Status Certification  

Decision(s): 

On 16 June 2021, further to advice from Jersey’s Deputy Medical Officer of Health, the Minister for Health and Social Services decided that trial participants should be included in Jersey’s COVID Status Certification eligibility criteria, in order to ensure parity with the UK position.

 

The Minister determined that the COVID Status Certification criteria should be amended to provide that 'fully vaccinated' includes receipt of 2 doses of an MHRA-approved vaccine (Pfizer, AstraZeneca or Moderna) or 2 doses of trial vaccine through an approved UK trial.

 

The other requirements remain unchanged.

Reason for Decision:

On 11 June 2021, the UK’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer published an open letter to UK residents who have volunteered to take part in COVID-19 vaccine studies[1]. This letter sets out a firm commitment to all volunteers in formally approved COVID-19 vaccine trials in the UK that they will not be disadvantaged in terms of any future domestic vaccine certification, if introduced, compared to anyone else who has had their vaccines under the standard NHS programme.

 

Resource Implications:

  • None

Action required:

Update COVID Status Certification Board, operational colleagues and website.

Signature:

 

 

 

Position:

 

 

Minister for Health and Social Services

Date Signed:

Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

 

16 June 2021

Covid-19: Approval of UK trial Vaccines for Covid Status Certification

Text

Description automatically generated

 

Policy Position

Approval of trial COVID-19 vaccines for COVID Status Certification

17 June 2021

 

Purpose

 

To confirm policy position on trial participants being eligible for COVID Status Certification.

 

Background

 

On 11 June 2021, Professor Van-Tam (Deputy Chief Medical Officer) published an open letter to UK residents who have volunteered to take part in COVID-19 vaccine studies[1]. This letter sets out a firm commitment to all volunteers in formally approved COVID-19 vaccine trials in the UK that they will not be disadvantaged in terms of any future domestic vaccine certification, if introduced, compared to anyone else who has had their vaccines under the standard NHS programme.

 

This applies to all volunteers irrespective of whether you have had a vaccine that is licenced or unlicensed, whether you have had a placebo (dummy) vaccine or not, and if you are taking part in a ‘mix and match’ study such as ComCov or CovBoost. The combination does not matter and neither does the order in which vaccines are given.

 

Approval for local implementation

 

On 16 June 2021, the Deputy Medical Officer of Health recommended inclusion of trial participants in the COVID Status Certification eligibility criteria. This recommendation was approved by the Minister for Health and Social Services.

 

Implementation

 

  • Amend ‘to be eligible for 'fully vaccinated' status, the following criteria must be met’ to include:
    • you must have received 2 doses of an MHRA-approved vaccine (Pfizer, AstraZeneca or Moderna (or be a trial participant in a UK approved trial))

 

  • Other requirements remain unchanged:
    • you must have received 2 doses
    • the second dose must have been administered at least 2 weeks prior to arrival in Jersey
    • both doses must have been administered in the Common Travel Area (United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Jersey, Channel Islands or the Isle of Man)
    • you must make a legal declaration of your fully vaccinated status at pre-travel registration
    • you must provide physical evidence of vaccination status on request on arrival in Jersey (unless you have been vaccinated under the Government of Jersey Vaccination Programme) (Travelling to Jersey (gov.je))

 

  • Amend acceptable evidence of fully vaccinated status for people not vaccinated in Jersey to include ‘official letter from institution demonstrating participation in a UK approved trial’ (COVID Status Certification (gov.je))

 

Proof of vaccination status

 

  • NHS App does not currently apply ‘green tick’ to trial participants but this is under development
  • Until such time, all participants have been issued with a letter ‘confirming your participation in the specific vaccine study and confirming that you have the same ‘protected’ status as someone who has received the approved vaccines’.
  • This should be an official letter from the chief investigator of the UK trial, or the local principal investigator for the trial site:
    • Official headed paper
    • Study title and design

 

Trial examples:

 

  • Comparing COVID-19 Vaccine Schedule Combinations (Com-COV)[2]

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