The head of the country’s Vaccine Task Force said that less than half of the UK’s population can be vaccinated against the Coronavirus.
Kate Bingham said officials hope to give the vaccine to about 30 million adults – less than half of the country’s population of 67 million.
The head of the vaccination program told the Financial Times, “People keep talking about“ time to vaccinate the entire population, ”but that is misleading.
“There will be no vaccination for those under the age of 18.
“It is an adult-only vaccine for people over the age of 50 and focuses on health workers, home care workers and the vulnerable.”
In September, the Intergovernmental Committee on Vaccination and Immunization published a draft list clarifying who is likely to be at the top of the waiting list for a jab if or when Corona Virus The vaccine has been approved in the UK.
The committee said that a “simple age-based program” had been recommended as a way to determine who would get priority, adding that this approach “would likely lead to faster delivery and better absorption of those at higher risk.”
The draft identified elderly people in care homes and people in care homes as the first group, followed by those over the age of 80, over 75, over 70 and over 65.
The first group of younger adults – those under the age of 65 and those with conditions that put them at risk of developing serious complications from the virus – will be in the sixth priority group. They will be followed by those under the age of 65 who have a moderate level of risk.
The rest of the population is listed as a group at number 11, after other older groups that are over 50.
Earlier on Sunday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he supports the list of priorities, saying: “We must get the vaccine to people who are most likely to be severely affected by the coronavirus first.
“But it is also important because people can know in advance that there is a prioritization and we will reach people when it is medically correct to do so.
“Then there is a massive logistical operation we’re planning, led by the National Health Service and with the support of the Armed Forces to make sure we have the logistics in place to start this as quickly as possible.”
A government spokesperson said: “We want as many people as possible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and are looking at the advice of the Independent Joint Commission on Vaccination and Immunization regarding which groups of people should be prioritized.
The committee’s interim advice is that the vaccine should be given first to residents of care homes and staff, followed by people over 80 years of age and health and social care workers, and then to the rest of the population according to age and risk.
“A tremendous amount of planning and preparation has gone through the government in order to quickly roll out a safe and effective vaccine.”
