OVER-65s could start receiving their Covid vaccination invite letters next week as the UK’s jab rollout powers on, it’s reported.
Almost a million Brits were injected at the weekend, with more than 9.2 million overall now receiving at least one dose.
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Nearly nine in 10 over-80s and half of over-70s have had their first jab, with the government on target to offer vaccines to all over-70s by February 15.
One in 60 Brits received a coronavirus vaccine over the weekend alone, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock last night hailing the “mammoth effort”.
All older care home residents and staff have been offered a jab, with Mr Hancock praising Britain’s “incredible” vaccine rollout.
Next in line are over-65s who will be invited to book appointments from next week, The Daily Telegraph reports.
JAB JOY
It comes as a frantic effort was launched to stem the spread of the new South Africa variant of the disease.
So far, 105 cases of the African strain have been found here, but 11 infected Brits have no links to foreign travel, suggesting there may be hundreds more.
Door-to-door testing is being rolled out for up to 350,000 Brits in affected areas, as Mr Hancock urged them to “take extra precautions”.
“We need to come down hard on it, and we will,” the Health Secretary vowed.
Meanwhile, the number of people testing positive for the virus fell to 18,607 on Monday, down 30 per cent in seven days.
Hospital admissions also dropped by 20 per cent week on week.
With cases across England falling to pre-New Year’s figures, Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty is understood to have told the Prime Minister we passed the peak of infections last week, The Telegraph reports.
Another 40 million doses of the Valneva vaccine have now been secured, with the UK having now ordered 400 million jabs altogether, the Health Secretary confirmed.
If it gains approval, the Valneva vaccine will be manufactured in Livingston in Scotland.
But announcing 105 cases of the South African mutation of the virus had now been found in the UK Mr Hancock stressed it was “on all of us to contain this new variant” as he warned people in affected areas to stay at home.
Eleven are not linked to international travel, with Mr Hancock admitting there more may be more cases.
Mr Hancock said: “I am so proud of our team who have now vaccinated 9.2 million people across the UK.
‘NO REGRETS’
“I know just how much these jabs mean to people. We have invested early, and at risk before we know for sure if it will come good.
“Because from the start we have taken a no regrets attitude to backing vaccines.
“We have tried to leave nothing on the table.”
And he said Britain is building up a “large scale” vaccine manufacturing capability to battle the virus.
It comes after a furious row with the EU over vaccine supplies exploded last week, with Brussels threatening to block life-saving jabs coming to the UK.
Trade Secretary Liz Truss has said Britain is ready to send leftover vaccines to its “friends and neighbours” as soon as our population is protected.
The Oxford-Astrazenca jab was the only vaccine being supplied to the world at cost, Mr Hancock stressed.
Meanwhile, door-to-door mass testing will be urgently rolled out in eight areas of England amid fears the South African variant of Covid has spread.
