London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 02, 2026

Covid vaccine: Over-70s urged to get vaccine as UK nears target

Covid vaccine: Over-70s urged to get vaccine as UK nears target

People aged 70 or over who have not yet had a Covid jab are being urged to come forward, in a final push by ministers to meet their vaccination target.

More than 14 million people in the UK have had at least one dose - with the aim being 15 million by Monday.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said the UK could this year live with Covid "like we do with flu".

"I hope that Covid-19 will become a treatable disease by the end of the year," he told the Daily Telegraph.

Over the weekend, ministers are taking part in a renewed drive to encourage people in the top four priority groups - comprising people aged 70 and over, front-line health and social care workers, care home residents and the clinically extremely vulnerable - to get vaccinated.

The government is aiming to offer a vaccine to 15 million people in these priority groups by 15 February - which would cover 88% of those most at risk of dying from Covid-19.

On Friday, Wales said it was the first UK nation to meet the target.

Across the UK, a quarter of adults have already received one dose of a Covid vaccine, including around nine in 10 of all over 70s.


People aged 70 or over in England have already been asked to contact the NHS to arrange their jab. They can book an appointment online, or by calling 119 or contacting their local GP.

Health and social care workers should speak to their employer if they have not had their vaccine yet, the Department for Health said.

And GP teams have been asked to contact their clinically extremely vulnerable patients to make sure they have been offered a jab.


Almost 30 government ministers are taking part in visits and virtual meetings across the UK in a further push to encourage everyone eligible for the jab to get vaccinated.

They will hear from NHS staff and volunteers helping with the rollout, as well as people getting the vaccine.

Mr Hancock said: "I am determined that we protect as many of our country's most vulnerable people from this awful disease as soon as possible."

"Vaccines are the way out of this pandemic and it is testament to the strength of our Union and the combined power of our United Kingdom that we've seen such incredible progress in the roll out of our vaccination programme," he added.

Prof Stephen Powis, NHS medical director, said the UK's vaccination programme was "off to a strong start".

"People in the priority groups have not missed their chance to get jabbed and if you are aged 70 and over and haven't yet taken up the offer, please do come forward and make an appointment," he said.

The government has also published a new plan to help boost vaccine uptake in all communities, including those who may feel more hesitant about getting a jab.

The plan aims to raise awareness of how the NHS is making vaccination available to all, especially ethnic minorities, homeless people, asylum seekers and those with disabilities.

It highlights successful examples of community-led engagement which other areas could replicate, including a mobile vaccination service in Crawley to help reach those who are housebound and the use of social media resources to dispel vaccine myths in Slough.

From next week, details of who will be vaccinated in the next phase of the programme involving the over-50s and people with underlying health conditions will be set out. They are due to be vaccinated by May.

Some regions of the UK have already begun inviting the over-60s, who are part of the next phase, to be vaccinated.

On Friday, figures from the Office for National Statistics showed the number of Covid cases is going down in all nations of the UK - although infection levels remain high.

On Friday, 15,144 new cases were recorded in the UK, as well as 758 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.

Meanwhile, a new hotel quarantine system is due to come into force in England and Scotland on Monday.

It means all British and Irish citizens and UK residents arriving in England from so-called "red-list" countries - including Portugal, Brazil and South Africa - will have to quarantine in a hotel at a cost of £1,750 for an individual.

In Scotland, residents arriving from any country by air will have to isolate in hotels.


Sir Simon Stevens: "This has been a very encouraging start, and obviously there is much more to do".


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Finland Deploys Commercial-Scale Thermal Batteries Using Crushed Rock to Store Renewable Grid Energy
Valued at $109 Million: F-35B Fighter Jet Crashes in Southern California
Sainsbury Agrees to Sell Argos in £120 Million Deal to Private Consortium
High Court Clears Way for Construction of Chinese Embassy at Royal Mint Court
UK Fuel Prices Climb to Multi-Month Highs as Strait of Hormuz Tensions Disrupt Oil Supplies
Severe Summer Drought and Record Heat Put UK Harvests at Risk
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Faces Labour Backbench Opposition Over Potential Support for New North Sea Oil and Gas Drilling
Bank of England Warns Inflation Will Stay Above 3% as Middle East Energy Shock Prolongs Cost-of-Living Pressures
Andy Burnham has Announces Plans to Redistribute Income Tax Revenue to English Mayors
Early-Release Scheme Faces Fresh Scrutiny as Reoffending and Prison Recalls Rise
Police Phone Checks Followed Report on Murder of MI5 Agent Inside Sinn Féin
Archbishop of Canterbury Reaffirms £100 Million Reparative Justice Fund During Ghana Visit
Charities Allege French Police Used Tear Gas Against Channel Migrants
Norwegian Teenager Convicted Over Iran-Linked Murder Plot in Britain
Christian Organisations File Charity Complaints Against Amnesty International UK
Ofgem Tightens Grid Connection Rules for New Data Centres
FTSE 100 Reaches Record High Despite Global Technology Sell-Off
Millions of UK Households Urged to Check Eligibility for Winter Energy Discount
Labour Restores Parliamentary Whips to Diane Abbott and Joani Reid
UK Supreme Court to Hear Challenge Over Palestine Action Ban
UK Commits More Than £8.4 Billion to Dreadnought Nuclear Submarine Programme
England Declares Severe Drought as Wildfire Burns Near Sizewell Nuclear Site
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 3.75% as Middle East Tensions Fuel Inflation Risks
Drought Status Extended Across All of Wales as Heat and Dry Weather Deepen Environmental Strain
Record-Low Danube Exposes Probable Mammoth Remains in Bulgaria
UK Business Confidence Climbs to Four-Month High
Greater Manchester Gains Expanded Powers Under Regional Funding Reforms
UK Supreme Court to Hear Appeal Over Palestine Action Terror Ban
Shell's Quarterly Profit Doubles to Nearly $10 Billion on Higher Energy Prices
UK Government Removes VAT From Household Electricity Bills
Exceptional Drought Grips Half of England as Wildfire Threatens Sizewell
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 3.75% as Inflation Risks Persist
US Says It Has Carried Out Heavy Strikes on Iran After Attempted Attacks on Its Forces
The chief executive of the popular gaming company laid off many employees and his pay rose to 38 million dollars
UK Employment Holds Steady as Wage Growth Remains Moderate
England to Introduce Artificial Intelligence into Secondary School Curriculum
Wales Launches £1.2 Billion Industrial Regeneration Programme
High Court Upholds UK Digital Surveillance Framework
Northern Ireland Reaches Budget Agreement on Infrastructure and Public Sector Pay
Home Office Expands Digital Border Checks Nationwide
UK Approves Major North Sea Wind and Carbon Capture Project
The World's Most Terrifying Smartphone: Recording, Documenting, and Reporting to the Regime
Scotland Approves Major Renewable Energy Expansion
UK and United States Sign AI and Semiconductor Cooperation Pact
UK Treasury Tightens Fiscal Controls After Gilt Market Volatility
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 4.5%
UK Unveils £10 Billion NHS Funding Overhaul and Workforce Reform
The AI User Nightmare: Private Claude Conversations Leaked to the Internet
UK: Former Football Association Leaders Call for World Cup Boycott Over FIFA Privatization Plan
Forbidden Love: China severs millions from their virtual partners
×