UK to offer booster shots for COVID from September: Reports

The United Kingdom government is preparing to offer Britons, who have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, a booster jab from September. According to PTI, it is to ensure that people are protected against new variants of the coronavirus before winter comes.

According to a BBC report, the National Health Service (NHS) has been asked to start planning a COVID vaccine booster programme.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said, “Our first COVID-19 vaccination programme is restoring freedom in this country, and our booster programme will protect this freedom.”

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The Department of Health said the plan had been drawn up after suggestion from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), according to the Express newspaper.

Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “Our COVID-19 vaccination programme has been a roaring success, with almost 85% of adults across the UK receiving a first dose and more than 62% getting both doses.”

More than 30 million of the most vulnerable should receive a third dose, vaccine experts are advising. No decisions have yet been made on which vaccines will be used.

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The JCVI’s final advice will be published before September when better data will be available on how long protection from the first two doses of the vaccines lasts.

UK was the first country to start the vaccination programme against COVID-19 in December 2020. The country was put under strictest lockdown to curb the spread of the deadly virus. Some of the restrictions are still in place are expected to lift off on July 21.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the country now stands at 4,800,907 with 128,140 deaths.