Booster jabs for the coronavirus vaccine could be rolled out in ‘August or September’, according to a government adviser.
Anthony Harnden, deputy chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said that boosters could help to prevent rising cases in winter if the UK is struck by Covid variants or a drop in immunity.
He told The BMJ that it’s as yet unclear whether such a jab would be offered to vulnerable groups before the general population.
It came as a further 121 deaths and 5,534 cases were recorded in the UK, according to the government’s latest daily statistics. More than 23.6m people in total have been given a first dose of a Covid vaccine.
In London a protest vigil for Sarah Everard on Clapham Common was cancelled amid concerns demonstrators would be arrested for breaching coronavirus regulations. Instead a doorstep vigil will take place at 9.30pm.
Meanwhile in France, prime minister Jean Castex has warned that the Covid situation in Paris is extremely tense and that new restrictions are possible.
Austria, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Bulgaria have called for talks on the European Union’s vaccination rollout after officials in Austria complained that some bloc members are receiving more doses than others.
Jordan’s health minister has resigned after an investigation into six deaths caused by a shortage of oxygen in a government hospital.
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