All those over the age of 50 will be offered a coronavirus boost this fall to prevent another deadly wave, health officials have announced.
The emergence of more infectious subvariants from Omicron has led experts to change the interim guideline, which had suggested that only those over 65 should receive the dose.
Cases of the virus rose 30 per cent last week and some 3.5 million Britons were infected, according to the National Statistics Office (ONS). The increase, driven by Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, increases pressure on hospitals and contributes to a collapse in ambulance response times.
Yesterday, the Joint Vaccination and Immunization Committee (JCVI) said the wave of cases meant it would be offered to more people than initially planned.