More than 20 million people across the UK have been given their first Covid vaccine - but when will you get your jab?
As of March 6, at least 22 million adults had received one dose of a Covid vaccine, with 1.2 million of those fully vaccinated with two shots.
In England, anybody aged 56 and over can book an appointment to get the Covid-19 vaccine in the UK.
You are also able to book an appointment in England if:
- You are at high risk from coronavirus (clinically extremely vulnerable)
- You are an eligible frontline health or social care worker
- You have a condition that puts you at higher risk (clinically vulnerable)
- You have a learning disability
- You are a main carer for someone at high risk from coronavirus
The government’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation published a list of groups of to be prioritised to receive a vaccine for Covid-19 in the UK.
The document said it placed “a high priority on promoting rapid, high levels of vaccine uptake among vulnerable persons”.
The first groups prioritised for vaccination against the coronavirus were:
1. Residents in a care home for older adults and their carers
2. All those aged 80 and over and frontline health and social care workers
3. All those aged 75 and over
4. All those aged 70 and over and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals
5. All those aged 65 and over
6. All individuals aged 16 to 64 with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality
7. All those aged 60 and over
8. All those aged 55 and over
9. All those aged 50 and over
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Once all the top nine priority groups have been offered at least one jab, it will then be given out to the rest of the adult population according to their age group.
The age ranges expected to be invited for vaccination from around mid-April are:
1. All those aged 40-49.
2. All those aged 30-39.
3. All those aged 18-29.
What vaccines are being used in the UK?
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved for use in the UK on December 2, becoming the first coronavirus vaccine to be authorised anywhere in the world.
The Government began administering the vaccine on December 8, with Margaret Keenan, a grandmother from Coventry, the first person in the world to receive a Covid vaccination.
This was followed on December 30 by the approval of the cheaper and easier to distribute Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
A third vaccine, produced by Moderna, was approved for use in the UK in early January, with several others expected to follow in the first quarter of 2021.
In December, the government published a list of nine vulnerable groups who will be given priority, following the advice of the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.
No firm target has been set to give the vaccine to the whole adult population, but it is thought this could be achieved by the end of summer.
So far those aged under 16 are not eligible as the vaccines have not been approved for use in children.
Will the vaccine protect you?
The COVID-19 vaccine that you have had has been shown to reduce the chance of you suffering from COVID-19 disease.
Each vaccine has been tested in more than 20,000 people in several different countries and shown to be safe.
It may take a week or two for your body to build up some protection from the first dose of vaccine.
Like all medicines, no vaccine is completely effective, so you should continue to take recommended precautions to avoid infection.
Some people may still get COVID-19 despite having a vaccination, but this should be less severe.
Where will I get a vaccine?
You'll be invited to book an appointment as soon as it's your turn, by phone or letter.
Thousands of vaccination sites are operating:
- in hospital hubs for NHS staff and older patients
- in thousands of GP surgeries
- in care homes for workers and older residents
- in some pharmacies
- in vaccination centres
- in sports stadiums and conference centres acting as major vaccination hubs
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