Covid vaccinations extended to people aged 32 and 33

NHS England expects to have administered 50 million vaccine doses by Saturday

England’s vaccination rollout has been extended to people aged 32 and 33, the NHS has announced.

It comes as NHS England estimates that more than 50 million coronavirus doses will have been given by Saturday, equivalent to over 40 per cent of the country’s adult population.

Of the 49,682,934 jabs administered so far, 18,328,096 of them have been second doses.

Under the latest extension of the vaccination rollout, 33-year-olds will receive texts on Saturday morning allowing them to book vaccine slots before 32-year-olds can do the same from Monday.

This age group - like all under-40s - will not have the AstraZeneca vaccine because of its link to rare blood clots.

More than 2.5 million people have arranged their injections since eligibility was extended to the under-40s just over a week ago, according to the NHS.

Dr Nikki Kanani, NHS England’s national medical director for primary care, said it was encouraging to see so many people come forward for their coronavirus vaccines.

She added: “The offer doesn’t go away so if you are eligible and haven’t booked, please do come forward and do so.

“It is safe, effective and will protect you and those around you.”

Health secretary Matt Hancock hailed the rollout extension as “an incredible step forward”, while NHS chief executive Simon Stevens celebrated reaching the 50 million dose mark on Friday.

”Today, the biggest NHS vaccination programme in history hits another milestone as we pass 50 million life-saving jabs delivered across England,” he said.

On the advice of its scientific advisers, the government has decided to bring second doses for the clinically vulnerable and the over 50s forward, amid concerns about the so-called Indian variant.

The spread of the B.1.617.2 variant, which has particularly affected northern England, has not dampened the prime minister’s optimism that the next stage of lockdown easing will go ahead.

On Friday, Boris Johnson suggested he saw “nothing in the data that leads me to think that we’re going to have to deviate from the road map”.

Additional reporting by PA