How early can I get my second Covid vaccine dose?
Latest news email updates straight to your inbox Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice  Brits are continuing to get vaccinated with more than 40 million people getting their first jab. At the moment, all over 18s are able to receive their first dose of the vaccine and some people are already lining up to get their second dose of the vaccine. And with some countries allowing people to enter the country without isolating after getting both of the vaccines, some people are wondering how early they can get the second jab. READ MORE Met Office's crushing update over July UK heatwave has people distressed  However, there are set times as to when most people will be able to receive their second jab so if you are hoping to get it early, you might be out of luck. Due to the Delta variant and because of good progress with the vaccine rollout, people are being offered their second vaccine dose eight weeks after the first one, compared to the previous 12 weeks. The Department of Health has announced that eight weeks should be the maximum interval between doses for everyone with vaccine appointments scheduled after June 14. However, it has been reported that some people are being offered their jabs even earlier. According to the Guardian, some GPs are offering jabs just three weeks apart. Doctors are saying that this ensures vaccines are not wasted, especially amid the spread of the Delta variant. But the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises the government, warned that people who were double vaccinated sooner than the rules allowed could end up being less protected against Covid. Prof Wei Shen Lim, the chair of Covid-19 immunisation at the JCVI, said: The JCVI advises that preferably the second dose of currently approved Covid-19 vaccines should be given eight to 12 weeks after the first dose. "The latest evidence indicates that a longer dose interval of eight to 12 weeks is likely to provide higher levels of protection than a shorter dose interval of three to four weeks." A government scientific advisor Professor Anthony Harnden says the "sweet spot" is eight weeks and any earlier means you won't be protected for as long, according to the BBC. He says: "The data suggests very strongly that the longer you leave that second dose, the better longer term protection you will have. "There is a sort of sweet spot from about eight weeks onwards, and we wouldn't advise anybody to really have the second dose before then." However, some people are being called up earlier for the second dose and some requesting the early dose at walk-in vaccination centres are being accepted. One clinician said, "If it is between three and eight weeks, it is up to the individual clinician to decide on a case-by-case basis."