LONDON (Reuters) – Britain will start giving COVID-19 shots to people aged 65 and older on Monday, as it concludes its goal of offering vaccines to 15 million people in priority groups, including the elderly and frontline health workers.
The government set Monday as the deadline to deliver a first dose of vaccine to everyone in its top four priority segments, including all those aged 70 and over, a goal it is likely to achieve.
According to the latest official figures, 14.56 million people have been given a chance to expand health care program to the ages of 65 to 69 and other clinically vulnerable people.
The National Health Service (NHS) said about 1 million people had already received invitations.
“Every push in the arm is one step closer to returning to normalcy in the future, which is why we invite the next priority group to discuss their appointments,” Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi said in a statement.
Britain, which has recorded more than 120,000 deaths from COVID-19, was the first Western country to start mass vaccinations in December, and is ahead of other European countries in rolling out the shots.
Reporting by Michael Holden; Edited by Helen Popper