Covid booster jabs for under 50s to boost winter immunity.
The booster doses are being extended to those under 50, as government advisers are scheduled to approve third doses for the youngest starting Monday.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization is expected to imminently approve the extension of the booster program to boost immunity before winter, according to The Times.
The news came when it emerged that older people cannot book their booster jabs because the NHS incorrectly recorded when they had their second.
The government is relying on the reinforcement program to protect the most vulnerable during the winter period, with 12 million people taking their third hit on Sunday.
“Every coup builds our defense wall across the country before Christmas,” said Sajid Javid, Secretary of Health.
Those who are currently eligible for a supplemental vaccine (people over the age of 50 and those at increased risk for Covid-19) can now pre-book their jab five months after their second dose, so they can get the injection on the day they are eligible.
There has been a concern in recent weeks that not enough eligible people come forward to claim their boosters, with absorption slower than during the first two doses of Covid jabs.
Javid said Wednesday that he cannot rule out the possibility that those over 65 who have not received a Covid jab booster will be prevented from taking trains or entering restaurants at some point.
The Health Secretary’s comments came during an interview with Sky News when asked to react to the introduction of such a policy in France.
Mr. Javid said the government was not considering the idea “yet” but refused to rule out its ever being adopted.
A Downing Street source later said the policy was not being actively enforced, but added that the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic meant that few potential measures could be ruled out.
On Sunday, the government reported 36,517 new cases in Britain, a drop of almost 30 percent from the last peak on October 21. Deaths were also down nearly seven percent in the past week and hospital admissions by 13 percent.