People aged 40-49 will be prioritised next for a Covid-19 vaccine, the Government has announced with scientific advisers adding that the move would “provide the greatest benefit in the shortest time”.
The government announced the next phase of the UK’s coronavirus vaccine programme yesterday with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) continuing to prioritise age groups ahead of occupations.
This news means teachers and police officers who had previously been expected to jump the queue, waiting inline until their age group is next, with scientific advisors saying “a mass vaccination strategy centred specifically on occupational groups would be more complex to deliver”.
Phase 2 is expected to start near the end of March once phase 1 of the vaccine rollout has been completed.
The priority list for the first phase is as follows.
- Residents in a care home for older adults and their carers
- All those 80 years of age and over and frontline health and social care workers
- All those 75 years of age and over
- All those 70 years of age and over and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals
- All those 65 years of age and over
- All individuals aged 16 to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality
- All those 60 years of age and over
- All those 55 years of age and over
- All those 50 years of age and over
Professor Wei Shen Lim, Covid-19 chair for JCVI, said: “Vaccinations stop people from dying and the current strategy is to prioritise those who are more likely to have severe outcomes and die from Covid-19.
“The evidence is clear that the risk of hospitalisation and death increases with age.
“The vaccination programme is a huge success and continuing the age-based rollout will provide the greatest benefit in the shortest time, including to those in occupations at a higher risk of exposure.”
People aged between 40 and 49 will be next in line for the jab, followed by the 30 to 39s age group and then all those 18 to 29.
They will get the jab once all of those in phase 1 have received their vaccination.
Priority for Phase 2 will be given in the following order:
- All those aged 40-49
- All those aged 30-39
- All those aged 18-29
