The UK government has been successfully trudging along with its goal to vaccinate every single Brit by the end of July and so far 18 million people have been fully vaccinated against COVID, while 35 million have received their first dose. Now the programme is moving towards the next step.
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From tomorrow, everyone under the age of 40 will be eligible to get jabbed for the first time. The rollout will start with those aged 38 and 39.
The process
Everyone within this age group can expect to receive a text from ‘NHSvaccine’ prompting them to book their appointment online. According to NHS Digital, those who book via the National Booking Service (NBS) will be redirected to sites that have Pfizer and Moderna jabs. Those who do not have access to online resources can call 119 to reserve an appointment at one of the 1,600 sites that are administering these jabs in England.
Alternative vaccines
As of now, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has said that everyone within this age bracket will be offered Pfizer and Moderna jabs instead of AstraZeneca. Although there have only been 242 blood clotting cases in the 28.5 million doses administered so far, researchers have identified that there is a slightly higher risk of clotting in younger age groups. So, in order to boost public confidence in the programme, adults between the ages of 18 and 39 will be offered alternative vaccines. Professor Wei Shen Lim from JCVI stated:
As Covid-19 rates continue to come under control, we are advising that adults aged 18- 39 years with no underlying health conditions are offered an alternative to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, if available, and if it does not cause delays in having the vaccine.
