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LONDON, June 17 (Reuters) - The health service in England
will open up COVID-19 vaccinations to everyone aged over 18 on
Friday, a big step towards the government's target of giving
every adult who wants a vaccine a first shot in the next month.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday pushed back the full
re-opening of England from lockdown until July 19 because of a
rise in cases, but also accelerated his vaccination plans,
pledging to give every adult a first dose by the same date.
"Offering all adults a jab less than 200 days after the
programme launched is one of our country’s greatest collective
achievements, saving over 14,000 lives so far," he said,
referring to Public Health England estimates of the impact of
the vaccine rollout.
Britain has given a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to more
than 42 million people, almost 80% of adults, while well over a
half have received both shots.
Health authorities in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern
Ireland each run their own vaccination campaigns. Wales and
Northern Ireland have already made vaccines available to any
adult, while Scotland is offering them to anyone over 30.
Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna
vaccines are being rolled out across the United Kingdom,
although officials have said that people under 40 should be
offered an alternative to AstraZeneca's shot after it was linked
to rare blood clots.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by Michael Holden)
