"Sometime in August, we will have no circulating virus in the UK", Dix said, adding that he believed the vaccine booster programme could be pushed back to early 2022. The government is looking at which COVID-19 vaccines would offer the best booster shot for vulnerable people later this year. British officials said people under 40 should be offered an alternative to Oxford/AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine where possible due to a small risk of blood clots. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)said the advice reflected low levels of coronavirus infection in Britain and the availability of other vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna. Dix, who was appointed as interim leader of the task force in December, stepped down from his role last week.

Source: bd News24 May 07, 2021 23:15 UTC