States flying Alderney residents to Guernsey for Covid jab

Thursday 20 May 2021

Residents in Alderney under the age of 40 are being flown to Guernsey to get their Covid-19 vaccination.

Due to the difficulty in shipping the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines to the northern isle due to their storage requirements, Alderney has mainly received the AstraZeneca vaccine for its population.

However, recent advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), suggests people aged between 18 and 39 should be offered an alternative to AstraZeneca, following the rare incidence of blood clots. 

Pictured: The mRNA vaccines need to be transported in temperature sensitive environments.

The JCVI is recommending that everyone under the age of 30 gets the Pfizer or Moderna jabs, and that people from 30 to 39 are offered the choice. 

Without being able to send enough Pfizer through to Alderney to allow for this option, Public Health is instead arranging for people to be flown to Guernsey for their vaccinations.

The States of Guernsey has organised clinic dates, flight arrangements and travel to and from the vaccination centre.

“The full costs of delivering these vaccines in Guernsey will only be known once the full take-up of this offer to Alderney has been established,” said a spokesperson for Public Health.

It’s expected that some residents may decide not to take up the offer and instead have an AstraZeneca vaccination, following discussions with their doctor.