Millions of older and more vulnerable Britons are expected to receive Covid-19 booster shots from September to strengthen their resistance over the winter and curb new variants, advisers to the UK government have recommended.
A final decision on whether to go ahead will await more data on how long immunity lasts. Following the interim ruling from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, the NHS will begin preparations to administer the shots in less than 10 weeks but a green light will not be given until later in the summer, officials said.
The UK vaccination programme is considered among the most successful in the world, with almost 85 per cent of the adult population having received a first dose and more than 62 per cent now fully jabbed.