The announcement came after nearly 25 million have been vaccinated in the UK
Adults aged 50 or above in England are now being invited to book an appointment for the coronavirus vaccination on the NHS website.
According to government statistics, 24,839,906 people have now received their first does of the Covid-19 vaccine, whilst 1,663,646 people have now had their second jab.
NHS England said on social media: “From today, people aged 50 or older can book a life-saving Covid vaccine. Invitations are now being sent to millions of people aged 50-54 in the latest stage of the vaccination programme — the biggest in NHS history.”
From today, people aged 50 or older can book a life-saving #COVIDVaccine.
Invitations are now being sent to millions of people aged 50-54 in the latest stage of the vaccination programme — the biggest in NHS history. pic.twitter.com/xbBaTQVzt4
— NHS England (@NHSEngland) March 17, 2021
The prime minister Boris Johnson has set an impressive target of vaccinating all adults in the UK by 31st July.
The Government also said it hopes to offer all over-50s their first jab by May.
Despite the recent concerns about an unproven link between the coronavirus vaccine and blood clots, UK doctors are advising people to get the vaccine when called.
According to the British Medical Journal: “The World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency have said that there does not seem to be an increased risk of blood clots with the vaccine and have advised that vaccinations should continue.”
Yesterday, WHO’s Chief Scientist, Soumya Swaminathan, said: “We do not want people to panic, and we would, for the time being, recommend that countries continue vaccinating with AstraZeneca… So far, we do not find an association between these events and the vaccine,” the BMJ said.
This comes after 16 European countries have suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, with doctors warning that the halt to the vaccination rollout could put people’s lives at risk.
