People aged between 18 and 39 will be offered a third dose of the Covid vaccine sooner than expected, according to the deputy chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.
At present, only those over 40 are eligible for a third dose - along with people with certain illnesses and vulnerabilities.
But after the discovery of cases of the Omicron Variant of Covid in the UK the booster project is to be accelerated.
There are fears the variant will spread more quickly and could beat some vaccine immunity.
Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chair of the JCVI, said under-40s “should expect” to get the booster earlier than previously thought because of the Omicron variant.
When asked if those aged 18-39 should brace for an extension to the booster programme on Radio 4’s Broadcasting House, he said: “I think there’s a very good, strong argument for raising the antibody level in the whole of the community.
“So, accelerating the booster programme, both by extending the age range and by reducing the interval between the second dose and the booster dose, will be an acceptable strategy.”
When pushed on whether people aged 18 and over would be invited to get the booster sooner, he added: “Those adults 18 plus will have an offer of a booster earlier than we had previously envisaged.”
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