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Boris Johnson has promised that all UK adults should be offered a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of July.
The accelerated launch of the vaccine would help protect the most vulnerable sooner and would also ease some lockdown restrictions, the prime minister said.
People age 50 and older and those with underlying health problems will receive an injection by April 15.
And by July 31, all adults should have received a COVID-19 vaccine, although the order of priority for those under 50 years of age has not yet been defined by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI).
The ministers had set a goal of offering vaccines to all adults by September, with the goal of reaching everyone over 50 in the first nine JCVI priority groups by May.
The new goal was set as Johnson prepares to chair a meeting of senior ministers today, known as the “COVID S” committee, to finalize his roadmap out of the lockdown before the cabinet approves it on Monday.
He will then unveil his plans to relax the strict measures to MPs in the Commons on Monday afternoon and is expected to chair a press conference in Downing Street later in the evening.
The prime minister continues with the aim of reopening all schools in England next month – March 8 – despite the concerns of professors and scientists.
Outdoor mixing is also likely to be one of the first areas where the rules will relax.
The accelerated launch of the vaccine will fuel calls for the restrictions to be eased sooner, but Johnson has insisted that the route out of the lockdown would be “cautious and staggered.”
He said: “Reaching 15 million vaccines was an important milestone, but there will be no truce, and I want the deployment to move faster and faster in the coming weeks.
“We will now try to deliver a hit to all adults by the end of July, helping us protect the most vulnerable sooner and take further action to ease some of the restrictions in place.
“But there should be no question: the route out of the confinement will be cautious and staggered, as we all continue to protect ourselves and those around us.”
Boris Johnson has insisted that the route out of the blockade would be ‘cautious and staggered’
Former Conservative MP William Hague told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday program that he hopes “the vast majority of restrictions can be lifted soon,” adding that Johnson will say it all depends on the progress that is being made.
Hague, a former Conservative Party leader, said: “I think if we’re going to get to the point, maybe in April, where everyone over 50 has had a chance to get vaccinated and the number of COVID cases has dropped.” at a very low level, the kind of level we last saw in the middle of the summer of last year, then there wouldn’t be much justification for keeping the restrictions on people. “
It comes as NHS England said that more than two-thirds of people aged 65-69 have received their first dose just one week after the invitations were sent.
Around 460,000 64-year-olds will now be summoned to receive their injection, while people over 65 have been urged to respond to the vaccination letter if they have not already done so.
And some parts of England went ahead and vaccinated those over 65 before the invites went out, reaching everyone in the four priority groups who wanted a jab.
NHS England Executive Director Sir Simon Stevens said there were “early signs” that the launch of the vaccine is contributing to the drop in coronavirus hospitalizations.
“The NHS COVID vaccination campaign continues at full steam: a week ago inviting letters were sent to all people aged 65 to 69, and already more than two-thirds of them have received their first COVID vaccine,” he said.
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‘Vaccine launch is going crazy,’ says Hancock
Earlier this month, the government fulfilled its ambition to deliver hits to everyone in the top four priority groups – adults 70 and older, frontline health and social care workers, and the most clinically vulnerable – before February 15.
As of Saturday, more than 17.2 million people across the UK had received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at one of 1,500 vaccination sites nationwide, while 600,000 received the second.
Downing Street said the JCVI would release its priority list for the second phase of the vaccine program in due course, as people ask that teachers and other front-line workers be prioritized.
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Labor shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the successful launch of the vaccine shows “the true value of our incredible health service” and thanked the NHS staff.
“Ensuring that people get vaccinated as quickly as possible is the right thing to do. All adults who get a first dose by July are welcome, although if supplies increase, this could be done sooner,” he said.
He added: “We now urgently need the government to establish how it will prioritize those outside of the first nine groups; it is perfectly reasonable for teachers, police officers and other key workers who have not been able to stay home in the lockdown to question. when will it be your turn.
“If the government is not going to prioritize by occupation in the next phase, it must establish why.”
Watch Sophy Ridge Sunday from 8.30am on Sky News, with guests including Health Secretary Matt Hancock, Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer, Labor Chancellor John McDonnell and former Conservative leader William Hague.
