Every adult in the UK will be offered a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine by September. The Minister for COVID Vaccine Deployment agrees that this pledge is achievable.
The Foreign Minster also hopes that by early spring some restrictions can be lifted gradually so the country can get back to normal, with the Minister for COVID Vaccine Deployment also saying that he expected to see a gradual easing in coronavirus restrictions, potentially starting about two or three weeks after the most vulnerable groups had been vaccinated and had begun to receive protection from the jabs.
Today we are beginning the next stage of the vaccine rollout, as people aged over 70 and those listed as clinically extremely vulnerable are invited to book their vaccination. More than 5.6 million people - from priority groups three and four - will be invited to have the jab. It comes as 10 new mass vaccination hubs open across England.
The NHS has been working incredibly hard to vaccinate the first two priority groups recommended by JCVI, and now vaccination sites have the supply and capacity to begin targeting the next two groups.
From today, millions of people aged 70 and over and those clinically extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 will be invited to get their vaccinations as the NHS begins roll out of the vaccines to these next two priority groups. In areas where a significant majority of priority groups 1-2 have been done, they can now move to priority groups 3-4.
We are on track to deliver vaccines to the first four priority groups by the middle of February, but at the same time we must all continue to play our part to stop the spread of the virus - helping us to save lives and protect the NHS. For more information on how you can help support the vaccination programme, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/british-public-urged-to-play-their-part-in-historic-vaccine-roll-out.
More locally…
The first COVID-19 NHS large vaccination centre in Essex opens today (18 January) as the NHS accelerates the number of life-saving jabs as part of the biggest vaccination programme in NHS history. The centre in Runwell in Wickford is one of the first in the East of England to open its doors to vaccinate people aged 80 and over, along with health and care staff.
It offers an additional option for people to the hospital hubs and GP-led vaccination services already offering coronavirus vaccinations across Essex and more will be going live across the county. The NHS is again urging people – please don’t contact the NHS to seek a vaccine, the NHS will contact you. When you are contacted, please ensure you attend your appointment. Whether you have had a vaccine or not, please continue to follow all national guidance to control the virus and help save lives, stay at home and remember: ‘hands, face, space’.
Letters have been sent out in the last few days to people aged 80 who live up to a 45 minute drive from the new centre, inviting them to book an appointment through the national booking service online or over the phone. If this is not convenient, people can wait to receive an appointment more locally at a GP-led service. If an appointment has already been offered by a GP, residents can choose which appointment suits them best.
