Over-40s to be offered Covid vaccine ‘from tomorrow’
Over-40s are due to be invited for their first vaccinations against coronavirus from tomorrow, as part of government plans to offer a first injection to all adults in the UK by 31 July.
Initial appointments will be reserved for people aged 49, with people in their mid-to-late-40s told to book later in the month as part of an “easing into” the next phase of the rollout, the Times reported.
Ministers had originally set a target of 15 April for offering a first dose of the vaccine to all over-50s, suggesting the government is preparing to announce it had achieved its goal with time to spare.
A period of national mourning for the Duke of Edinburgh means that Boris Johnson will not be able to hail the achievement at a press conference this week as originally planned, although a public statement to mark the milestone is still expected.
Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, hailed the “incredible achievement” of the UK’s vaccination programme so far, which has seen more than 32m people receive their first dose of a Covid vaccine, and more than 7m receiving their second jab.
“While there is still a way to go with our vaccination programme, we welcome the progress being made, with the jabs due to be rolled out to the over-40s this week and all priority groups now offered a first dose,” he said.
More than half of people in the UK have received their first dose of a Covid vaccine, with the government confident it will meet its deadline to vaccinate all over-18s by the end of July despite supply hiccups with the Astrazeneca jab.
Moderna’s Covid vaccine joined the UK’s jab portfolio last week, with injections rolled out across Wales and Scotland.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) confirmed this morning that doses of the Moderna vaccine will be rolled out in England from “mid-April”.
Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot vaccine is expected to become the fourth Covid jab to receive approval from the UK’s medicines regulator later this week.
Britain has ordered 30m doses of the jab, produced by J&J subsidiary Janssen, with ministers keen to prioritise it as a “jab and go” option for millennials.
It comes after the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) last week made the surprise move to recommend that all under-30s seek an alternative jab to the Astrazeneca vaccine over concerns it could be linked to an increased risk of rare blood clots.
Jonathan Van-Tam, England’s deputy chief medical officer, insisted the updated guidance would not prove a major kink in the Prime Minister’s roadmap for leaving lockdown, but that it might cause “slight delays” to individual vaccine appointments for under-30s.
Pubs, bars, restaurants and non-essential shops reopened for the first time in months today in a major easing of England’s coronavirus lockdown.
Johnson yesterday urged the nation to “behave responsibly” as measures are eased as part of phase two of the roadmap.
“I’m sure it will be a huge relief for those business owners who have been closed for so long, and for everyone else it’s a chance to get back to doing some of the things we love and have missed,” he said.
“I urge everyone to continue to behave responsibly and remember ‘hands, face, space and fresh air’ to suppress Covid as we push on with our vaccination programme.”