One million more people eligible for Covid jab from tomorrow

The NHS is opening bookings for people aged 32 and 33 at nhs.uk from 7am on Saturday, May 22.

Texts inviting people to book a vaccination will be sent to those aged 33 from tomorrow and aged 32-year-olds from Monday.

Since the booking service opened to people under 40 just over a week ago, 2.6million more bookings have already been made.

People 39 and under and pregnant women are being offered the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine in line with recently updated guidance.

People aged 50 and over and the clinically vulnerable are having their second doses brought forward, where possible, to counter the spread of the variant B1.617.2 originating in India. Nobody needs to contact the NHS and people will be told to rebook if they need to.

NHS Chief Executive Sir Simon Stevens said: “Today, the biggest NHS vaccination programme in history hits another milestone as we pass 50 million life-saving jabs delivered across England.

"Over four fifths of people in their forties and over half of people aged 35-39 have now had their first jab, and today we're extending the offer to 33-year-olds."

GP and national medical director for primary care Dr Nikki Kanani said: “It is fantastic to see so many people come forward so quickly to get their lifesaving covid vaccine.”

By following a link and easy booking steps, people can book both jabs at the same time and can choose from a list of NHS Vaccination Centres or pharmacy-led vaccination services as well as some GP-led sites.

More than 31million people have now been vaccinated with a first dose in England, almost half the total adult population.

When invited, people can book at a vaccination centre, pharmacy or general practice site through the national booking service.

Text invitations appear as an alert from ‘NHSvaccine’, including a web link to the NHS website to reserve an appointment.

People who cannot go online can call the service on 119 instead to book their jab.

Vaccinations are now being administered at more than 1,600 sites across the country, including mosques, museums and rugby grounds, meaning the vast majority of the people live within 10 miles of at least one vaccination service.

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