EVERY adult in Britain could be given TWO Covid jabs by August ‘or sooner if we need to’ the head of the vaccine taskforce reveals
- Clive Dix said more vaccines would be approved for use in the ‘very near future’
- Would provide enough shots in case of production issues with existing supplier
- No10 today urged to expand the rollout of Covid vaccines to include all over-50s
All adults in the UK could be given two doses of the coronavirus vaccine by August or ‘maybe sooner’, the head of the country’s vaccine taskforce revealed.
Clive Dix, who runs the the body which identifies and buys vaccines on behalf of the UK government, said more vaccines would be approved for use in the ‘very near future’ as the Government continues to expand the rollout of jabs across the nation.
The supply would provide enough shots in case there were any production issues from existing suppliers AstraZeneca and Pfizer.
It comes as No10 was today urged to expand the rollout of Covid vaccines to include all over-50s as soon as there were enough supplies as the country moves through the priority list.
Adults in the UK could be given two doses of the coronavirus vaccine by August as the Government continues to expand the rollout of jabs. Pictured: A man walks next to a Covid-19 vaccination centre in London
Mr Dix told Sky News: ‘We’re probably talking August time or September time all done, maybe sooner if we need to.’
‘We’ve got to deliver just over 100 million doses of vaccine and I believe we should be able to do that. I’m not in deployment so I can’t look at the numbers of when they will be. But if they need to be deployed by then, we’ve got the vaccine to do that.’
When asked if the supply would arrive in time over the coming months, Mr Dix added: ‘Yes, definitely.’
NHS England’s vaccine drive moved into its second phase yesterday, with over-65s and at-risk adults now being invited to get the jabs.
However latest figures show 275,956 shots were dished out on Monday, which was only slightly more than the 237,956 done on Sunday – the lowest in three weeks.
The two-day slump marks a sharp drop-off from last week, when 430,000 jabs were deployed on average every day.
It comes after No10 smashed its February 15 target of giving the first dose to the 15million most vulnerable Britons.
Officials have blamed ‘patchy’ supply for the inconsistent figures, with vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi saying today that doses were ‘finite’ at the moment.
Glasgow resident John Loch, 69, is given the coronavirus jab at the NHS Louisa Jordan Hospital
There are signs the UK’s coronavirus vaccine roll-out may be slowing after fewer than 280,000 doses were administered yesterday
Mr Zahawi told LBC Radio today: ‘We have strong visibility now all the way through to the end of March and into April and I’m confident we’ll hit the target.
‘It’s a big target – we’re doubling the rate almost in the next 10-11 weeks [compared] to what we’ve done in the previous 10-11 weeks.
‘We’ve got to get to 32million people who will have had at least one dose, and of course within that, those who would be due their second dose would also get their second dose.’
Britain has so far vaccinated 15.6 million people with a first dose and 546,165 with a second dose, the fastest roll-out per capita of any large country so far.
Today No10 was today urged to expand the rollout of Covid vaccines to include all over-50s.
Critics suggested that opening up the scheme so anyone in a priority group can get a vaccine as soon as they want one could avoid low uptake in certain groups holding back others.
The Adam Smith Institute think-tank urged areas of the country already ahead of the curve to open up the programme to over-50s now.
A spokesperson said: ‘Each person jabbed represents a life that won’t be lost to this terrible disease. We should be trying to ensure jabs reach as many people as possible as quickly as possible.
‘If some areas have steamed ahead they should to continue apace, opening up to the over-50s and other cohorts.
‘Areas that fall behind should be looking at best practice at home and abroad to increase the vaccination rate, including ringing down lists, using online bookings and social media to reach out if spare doses are available towards the end of the day, targeted outreach to hard to reach demographics.
‘Slowing down some parts in the hope others speed up is a false economy and it’s one with a high cost in terms of lives potentially saved and taxpayers borrowing to keep the companies going while the economy is closed.’