Vulnerable Britons are offered fourth dose of corona vaccine

Millions of people in Britain could receive a fourth dose of a corona vaccine from Monday, the national health service NHS announced on Sunday. English people from 75 years and vulnerable people from 12 years and older are eligible for this. It concerns a total of five million inhabitants, according to the NHS.

“Following the tremendous success of the (vaccination) rollout to date, we are offering the over-75s and the most vulnerable a booster dose this spring to complete their protection against this virus,” Health Minister Sajid Javid said in a statement.

In the United Kingdom, each of the four countries (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) decides on their health policies. In the UK, adults eligible for the fourth dose will receive the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, while youths aged 12 to 18 will receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

The UK has been hit hard by the pandemic, with more than 163,000 deaths. The number of infections has risen sharply in recent weeks. In Scotland, one in 14 people is infected, in England one in 20, the latest data shows. Responsible for this is a new version of the omikron variant of the coronavirus, BA.2.