BRITS in their thirties are expected to be offered Covid jabs within weeks.
Based on current rates of the vaccine rollout, the 35 to 39 age group can expect to be invited to book an appointment in the second half of May.
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Those aged 30 to 35 could be called by late May or early June, with those aged 18 to 24 and 25 to 29 during the rest of June and July.
And people aged 40 to 44 can expect to be invited early in May, though it is highly dependent on the vaccine supply.
The UK smashed its target of offering all UK adults over the age of 50 three days early.
PM Boris Johnson hailed another "hugely significant milestone" in the programme to protect the country against the killer bug.
Many people aged 45 to 49 rushed to book an appointment yesterday as the programme opened up to them, but were delayed when the NHS bookings site crashed.
NHS sources said the website malfunction was due a technical issue rather than demand.
It comes as…
- Rush to vaccinate over-40s as lockdown eases and UK braces for Covid surge in young
- Johnson & Johnson delays rollout of single-dose Covid vaccine in EU over rare blood clot fears
- University students in England to return to campus from May 17 at the earliest
- Thirsty Brits make 14million pub bookings in stampede to secure beer garden tables
- UK Covid deaths more than halve in a fortnight
- Dominant Kent Covid variant is ‘NOT more deadly but does spread faster’
Despite the hiccup and supply limitations, Matt Hancock told MPs the government was on course to meet its target to offer a vaccine to all adults by the end of July.
He said: “I can announce formally that from today, we have opened up invitations to get a vaccine to all aged over 45, and then we will proceed to everyone aged over 40 in line with supplies.”
He also confirmed that the Moderna vaccine is now being used across England, after it was initially rolled out in Wales last week.
“I’m very grateful to everybody involved in this vaccination programme, which allows us to lift restrictions across the country and already has saved over 10,000 lives, with more to come,” he added.
The vaccine will be the third Covid jab to be dished out in Britain and will be available at 21 sites in England, officials confirmed.
Professor Stephen Powis, medical director for NHS England, said it “marks another milestone” in the country’s battle against Covid.
Moderna offers an alternative to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for under-30s after concerns about a possible link to very rare blood clots.
Around 95 per cent of people aged 50 and over in England have received a first dose of the vaccine, while 92 per cent of those who are clinically vulnerable have been jabbed.
Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “We are making phenomenal progress, but we continue to remained focused to make sure nobody is left behind.”
It comes after guidance issued by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation concluded it would be quicker to continue vaccinating by age rather than giving vulnerable workers priority.
The nation’s impressive jab rollout is likely to put increasing pressure on the government to open up the country sooner.
A whopping 40,107,877 doses of the Covid vaccine have now been administered in the UK.
This includes 32,250,481 first doses and 7,857,396 second doses.
But Boris Johnson has warned that the falling Covid deaths are thanks to Britain's lockdown NOT the vaccine.
The PM claimed that "the bulk of the work" was done by people staying inside and not Britain's world leading jab rollout.
He also warned that cases would go up and urged the nation to continue to be cautious as they head back to the pub.
This week's vaccination rollout to under-50s marks the start of Phase 2 of the government's vaccination programme, with the PM hailing it as a "hugely significant milestone".
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