Vaccines to be offered to over-25s, as Hancock says jabs keeping patients out of hospital

Follow the latest updates

Over-25s can book Covid vaccine, Matt Hancock announces.mp4

Health secretary Matt Hancock has announced that people aged 25 and over can book their first coronavirus vaccine from tomorrow morning.

Mr Hancock told that House of Commons that although it’s too early to say whether or not the final Covid-19 restrictions should be lifted on 21 June, the vaccination rollout “brings us hope”.

He went on to say that vaccines have prevented an estimated 39,000 hospitalisations and over 13,000 deaths, and that the NHS is on track to vaccinate all adults by the end of July.

His announcements come amid rising Covid-19 case rates across most of the UK.

New analysis from PA suggests that around three quarters of local authorities reported a week-on-week rise in the week to 2 June – the highest proportion since early January.

A total of 283 out of 380 areas recorded an uptick in cases, with the greatest numbers in London, northwest England and Scotland.

Key Points

• Third wave ‘is emerging in the UK’, expert warns
• Coronavirus cases are rising across most of Britain
• Delay lockdown exit to make ‘huge gains’ in fight against virus, scientist says
• All Welsh adults to be offered vaccine next week
• Dating apps to offer perks to the jabbed

[7 June 2021 15:45 · Joanna Taylor]

Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has said that the House of Commons won’t debate an amendment tabled by rebel Tory MPs to reinstate the government’s foreign aid budget to 0.7 per cent today.

[7 June 2021 15:46 · Joanna Taylor]

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said that from tomorrow morning, 25 to 29-year-olds will be able to book their first vaccine dose in England.

[7 June 2021 15:53 · Joanna Taylor]

Matt Hancock says that the vaccination programme has averted an estimated 39,000 hospitalisations and over 13,000 deaths.

“Vaccination brings us hope,” he told the House of Commons.

[7 June 2021 16:02 · Joanna Taylor]

Covid vaccine: Over-25s can book jab from tomorrow, Matt Hancock announces

Follow breaking updates as Health Secretary Matt Hancock announces that 25 to 29-year-olds can book their first vaccine doses from tomorrow:

[7 June 2021 16:09 · Joanna Taylor]

Matt Hancock tells the Commons: “As of 3 June, our data show that of the 12,383 cases of the Delta variant, 464 went on to present at emergency care and 126 people were admitted to hospital.

“Of these 126 people, 83 were unvaccinated, 28 had received one dose and just three had received both doses of the vaccine.”

[7 June 2021 16:20 · Joanna Taylor]

Hancock: ‘Too early’ to make a decision on ending lockdown

Matt Hancock tells the House of Commons that it’s still too early to make a decision on step four of the prime minister’s roadmap out of lockdown.

The Health Secretary stressed the government’s ‘data not dates’ principle and added that a decision is set to be announced in a week’s time.

[7 June 2021 16:30 · Joanna Taylor]

Pfizer vaccine safe for over-12s, JCVI says

Matt Hancock has confirmed that the Joint Committee on Vaccine and Immunisation (JCVI) has determined that the Pfizer vaccine is safe people 12 years and older.

He added that he will ask the JCVI to produce a timetable on when to vaccinate youngsters.

In the meantime, Mr Hancock stressed that school children should take biweekly home tests and self-isolate if they test positive for the virus.

[7 June 2021 16:40 · Joanna Taylor]

Submit your questions for travel boss Julia Lo Bue-Said

Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, will answer The Independent readers’ travel questions after the government updated its red, amber and green lists.

For information on how to submit a question, click here:

[7 June 2021 16:50 · Matt Mathers]

Covid figures update - Public Health England

There was just one Covid death reported across the UK on Monday, according to Public Health England data.

This is down from 13 on Saturday. Some 5,686 cases were new cases were logged on Monday, down slightly from 5,756 on Saturday.

Meanwhile, 40,460,576 people have now received the first dose of a vaccine and 27,921,294 have received a second dose.

[7 June 2021 17:14 · Matt Mathers]

WHO official says China can’t be forced to give more information on Covid-19 origins

A top World Health Organisation official has said China can't be forced to provide more information on where Covid-19 might have originated.

Dr Mike Ryan, WHO's executive director, said "WHO doesn't have the power to compel anyone in this regard".

His comments come amid the reemergence of a theory that the virus may have come from a Wuhan lab.