Still waiting on that first COVID-19 jab? Here’s when you can roughly expect to receive the vaccine in the UK.
At the time of writing, there’s been more than 4.26 million confirmed cases of coronavirus across the country, with more than 126,000 deaths.
On the flipside, more than 24 million people have been offered their first vaccination, with 370,195 people said to have received their first dose over the past two weeks, on average.
As reported by Sky News, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said we’ll soon see the rollout based on age once the top nine priority groups are accounted for, with the oldest coming first.
While it’s a rough estimate, those aged between 40-49 could receive their first jab sometime between April 4-23 if all goes to plan. Between June 24 and July 12, those aged between 30-39 would be vaccinated, followed by those aged 18-29 between July 12-31.
NHS sources believe we’ll see a surge in the number of people vaccinated soon, with speculation this week alone could top four million doses, BBC News reports. If true, the UK would be two weeks ahead of schedule, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock aiming for all 32 million people in the top nine priority groups to be given their first dose by April 15.
Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chairman of the KCVI, described the rollout as ‘tremendously successful’, saying, ‘Those first nine priority groups included 99% of all hospitalisations and deaths, certainly in wave one of the pandemic, so we’re feeling very optimistic. We’re seeing a very sharp reduction in the deaths and hospitalisations throughout the country.’
The UK currently sits in fourth place with regards to doses given per 100 people, with Israel at the top, followed by the United Arab Emirates and Maldives.
There are some concerns regarding the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, one of three available in the UK, after a number of blood clots were reported following jabs across the Europe. This led to Germany, France, Italy and Spain halting vaccinations while safety checks are carried out.
However, while vaccine safety experts are conducting a review, both the UK medicines regulator and the World Health Organization say there is no evidence of a link. The European Medicines Agency, which also also insisted on the continued use of the vaccine, will meet this week.
Around 17 million of the total vaccinations in the UK and Europe have been attributed to the AstraZeneca jab, with fewer than 40 cases of blood clots reported as of last week.