Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

UK extends Covid vaccine booster programme to all adults

UK extends Covid vaccine booster programme to all adults

ALL adults in Britain will now be eligible for a third Covid jab, the government said, as concern mounted about the spread of the new Omicron variant.

The move, backed by a scientific advisory body and health secretary Sajid Javid, comes as ministers scramble to react swiftly to the new variant, which was first detected in South Africa.


Until now, only adults in the UK aged 40 and above were eligible for a booster dose six months after their last.

But that timeframe will now be halved to three months, alongside the programme's expansion to all over-18s, with priority given to older people.

"These measures will protect more people, more quickly and make us better protected as a nation," Javid told MPs.

He noted it was "a huge step up" for Britain's vaccination scheme, which was launched last December, almost doubling the number of people eligible for a booster.

"In this race between the vaccines and the virus, the new variant may have given the virus extra legs," Javid said.

"So our strategy is to buy ourselves time, and to strengthen our defences."

Britain -- badly hit by the pandemic with nearly 145,000 deaths and stubbornly high daily infection rates -- is one of several countries to have announced cases of the new variant on their soil.

More Omicron cases

Six cases of the new strain were detected in Scotland on Monday (29), two of them in the largest city of Glasgow.

Five others were confirmed in England, Javid told parliament, noting he expected "cases to rise over the coming days".

Since the Omicron variant was identified and named last week, the UK government -- which has responsibility for health policy in England only -- has slapped a travel ban on 10 southern African countries, including South Africa.

It has also reintroduced compulsory testing for travellers, and mandatory mask-wearing in shops and public transport in England, as well as self-isolation for contact cases.

But it has stopped short of advising people to work from home in England, in contrast to devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which have powers to set health policy.

Home-working guidance has remained there since the summer months.

The health secretary said the ramped-up English measures would be in place for an initial three weeks and then reviewed, with MPs set to vote on the plans on Tuesday (30).

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises UK health departments on immunisation, approved expanding the rollout of the booster jabs of Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech.

At a briefing announcing the changes, it said second vaccine doses would also now be offered to children aged 12 to 15 while severely immuno-compromised people should be given a fourth shot as a booster.

"We do not have evidence at the moment that the vaccines being used do not work against the new Omicron strain," said June Raine, head of the medicines regulator which approved the vaccines.

"We're in discussion with vaccine manufacturers and the World Health Organization on potential modifications that may be needed for the current vaccines to be maximally effective against the new variants."

Britain, currently chair of the G7 group of nations, hosted an emergency meeting of health ministers on Monday to discuss the variant.

The ministers said in a joint statement that it was highly transmissible and needs "urgent action".

(AFP)

More For You

Rochdale grooming case

They were all remanded in custody, except Bashir, who absconded before the trial began. (Photo: Greater Manchester Police)

Seven men convicted of raping 13-year-old girls in Rochdale grooming case

SEVEN men were convicted on Friday in the UK’s latest grooming trial, after a jury heard that two girl victims were forced to have sex “with multiple men on the same day, in filthy flats and on rancid mattresses”.

Jurors at the court in Manchester, northwest England, deliberated for three weeks before finding the seven men, all of whom are of South Asian descent, guilty of rape.

Keep ReadingShow less
karan-thakar

Karun Thakar is a leading textile collector with a lifelong focus on Asian and African textiles

Karun Collection

Karun Thakar Fund to support textile research with scholarships and grants

THE KARUN THAKAR FUND, established by textile collector Karun Thakar in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), supports the study of Asian and African textiles and dress through scholarships and project grants.

The fund offers one-time Scholarship Awards of up to £10,000 for university students worldwide focusing on any aspect of Asian or African textiles and dress. Undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students from any accredited university are eligible, provided their research or practice is clearly linked to these areas. The next round of Scholarship Award applications opens on 1 May 2025 and closes at 23:59 on July 15, 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian leaders recognised in King's birthday honours list

Professor Jagtar Singh (Photo: Facebook)

Asian leaders recognised in King's birthday honours list

ASIAN health workers, academics, charity workers and campaigners are among those who have been recognised in the King’s birthday honours list announced tonight (13).

More than a thousand recipients have been awarded for their exceptional achievements, with a particular focus on those who have given their time to public service, according to the Cabinet Office.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India

A view shows the wreckage of the tail section of an Air India aircraft, bound for London's Gatwick Airport, which crashed during take-off from airport in Ahmedabad. (Photo: Reuters)

Air India crash: Probe focuses on engine and flaps; safety checks ordered for 787 fleet

THE INVESTIGATION into the Air India crash that killed more than 240 people is focusing on the aircraft's engine, flaps, and landing gear.

The Indian aviation regulator has ordered safety checks on the airline’s entire Boeing 787 fleet, reported Reuters.

Keep ReadingShow less