LONDON (UK) – Britain will start providing COVID-19 shots to those aged 65 and over on Monday as it nears its target to offer vaccines to 15 million people in groups of priority including the elderly and frontline healthcare workers.
The government fixed Monday as the deadline to give a first vaccine dose to everyone in its top four priority segments, which included all those aged 70 and above.
According to the latest official figures, 14.56 million people have already gotten a shot, which has prompted health officials to expand the programme for those aged 65 to 69, and to other clinically vulnerable people.
About 1 million people had already got invitations, according to the National Health Service (NHS).
Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi said in a statement, “Every jab in the arm is another step closer to returning to normality in the future and that’s why we’re now inviting the next priority group to book their appointments.”
Britain has recorded more than 120,000 deaths from COVID-19, and was the first Western country to start mass vaccinations in December.