UK To Reduce Vaccine Interval To 8 Weeks From 12 Weeks; Lockdown Extended By 4 Weeks

Scientists advising the government had warned there could be a "significant resurgence" in people needing hospital treatment for COVID-19 if stage four of easing the lockdown went ahead on June 21.

File Photo (Source: Reuters)

New Delhi: The UK Government has decided to reduce the gap between vaccine doses to eight weeks from 12 weeks for those over 40, in order to expedite the vaccination process in the country. 

During a press briefing, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also announced the 4-week delay to end the lockdown. 

The UK vaccines committee had earlier recommended shortening the gap between jabs from 12 to eight weeks, amid a rising number of cases of the Delta variant according to a BBC report. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday announced a four-week delay in the final stage of easing lockdown restrictions in England until July 19, as he said the link between coronavirus infections and hospitalizations remains at concerning levels due to the more transmissible Delta variant.

Scientists advising the government had warned there could be a "significant resurgence" in people needing hospital treatment for COVID-19 if stage four of easing the lockdown went ahead on June 21. The last and fourth stage of the lockdown roadmap, dubbed 'Freedom Day', will now move to July 19 instead, amid a worrying spike in cases of the Delta variant, first identified in India, which experts fear will result in greater hospitalizations in the coming weeks.

We will now accelerate the second jabs for the over-40s, just as we did for over-50s, to give them all maximum protection, he said, in reference to a planned acceleration of the vaccination programme. Johnson said the month-long delay was to give the National Health Service (NHS) extra time and few more crucial weeks because of the concerns around the Delta variant, which has caused infection rates to double in the worst affected areas of the country.

Understandably, the extension of the lockdown comes as a big blow for many especially those in the hospitality industry but Johnson informed that the 30-guest cap on weddings & funerals will be lifted however, social distancing measures have to be met and along with other restrictions remain unchanged.