London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Mar 27, 2026

Covid: Website crashes as thousands try to book boosters

Covid: Website crashes as thousands try to book boosters

Thousands of people trying to book their Covid booster jabs in England has led to the NHS website crashing, the government has said.

More than half a million people booked their booster jab on Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

It comes after the PM said boosters would be offered to over-18s by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, ordering lateral flow kits from the UK government website has been temporarily suspended amid high demand.

From Tuesday, fully jabbed people will be advised to do daily lateral flow tests after contact with a Covid case.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid told the Commons there was "no shortage of actual tests" but the limiting factor was the ability to deliver them because of "hugely increased demand".

He added that new arrangements were being reached with other delivery companies, including Amazon.

Online bookings for the over-30s opened on Monday, while 18 to 29-year-olds will be able to book their booster jabs from Wednesday.

The NHS confirmed 750,000 people were able to book a booster appointment over the weekend.

Long queues at walk-in vaccine centres in England were reported on Monday after the prime minister announced the expansion to the booster rollout, in response to the Omicron variant.

Senior health sources have said the end-of-year target is highly ambitious and delivery may take longer, BBC health editor Hugh Pym said.

At least one person in the UK has died with Omicron, Mr Johnson confirmed on Monday.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said 10 people, aged between 18 and 85, had been hospitalised with the variant in England.

It added all were diagnosed on or before admission to hospital and the majority had received two doses of a vaccine.


At the scene

By BBC reporter Andrew Plant

There were long queues for a walk-in vaccination centre in Hungerford, Berkshire


It might be warmer than usual for this time of year - but not when you are waiting for four hours outside.

The queues at Hungerford walk-in centre have snaked around the edge of the football pitch all day. They are open till 7pm, but stopped accepting more walk-ins for booster jabs at 2pm, when the queue was already several hundred people long.

Even the intermittent drizzle and freezing hands didn't seem to put anyone off.

Some told me they had travelled from more than an hour away to come here today. They just want to get their boosters done, as soon as they possibly can.

An NHS Digital spokesperson said: "The vaccine booking service is facing extremely high demand and is operating a queuing system to manage numbers.

"We would advise people currently unable to book to try again later today or tomorrow."

The prime minister's official spokesman said the NHS was making sure there was "further capacity" on the website to book booster jabs in an effort to "adapt to the increased demand".

Jo, 37, from Cambridge told the BBC it had taken her three hours to book an appointment for January and she had gone "round in circles" before managing to do so.

To reach the government's target for all adults in England to be offered a booster by the end of the month, one million doses would have to be administered daily.

More than 500,000 booster jabs and third doses were given in the UK on Saturday, the second day that has happened since the booster rollout began.

Separately, there has been an issue with the ordering of lateral flow tests from the government's website, which earlier said "there are no more home tests available".

The UKHSA said ordering lateral flow tests online had been temporarily suspended to "fulfil current orders" but said there was "no shortage of lateral flow tests".

It added: "Everyone who needs a lateral flow test can collect test kits - either at their local pharmacy, some community sites and some schools and colleges."

Government sources told the BBC the problem would be resolved in a matter of hours after the rapid tests were restocked.

The Welsh government said lateral flows were "readily available through pharmacies and community collection sites".

A spokesperson said: "We would encourage people to use any test kits they may already have at home before ordering more."

The rush for tests followed news that from Tuesday, people who have been in contact with a Covid case will not need to isolate if their daily tests remain negative for seven days, and if they have had at least two vaccine doses.

Anyone who has a positive result from a rapid test should take a PCR test to verify the result, as well as continue to self-isolate.

People queuing for boosters outside a pharmacy in Sevenoaks, Kent


Meanwhile, large queues for booster jabs have been forming at vaccination points around England.

At Wimbledon's Centre Court shopping centre in south-west London, the queue for walk-in jabs stretched from one end of the building to the other after just 30 minutes of being open.

By 09:00 GMT, more than 100 adults - mostly under-40s wearing masks and some with babies in buggies - were waiting.

In the West Midlands, a long queue of about 200 people was seen at a car park and side roads at the back of the vaccination centre in Lye, near Stourbridge.

People at the front said they had waited for about an hour to reach the entrance, with some people with booked appointments choosing to leave after being forced to wait.

However, many queuing for a vaccine outside a pharmacy in Bedford have told the BBC that boosters are "worth the wait", with one woman explaining she was try to get hers after a double-jabbed relative was struggling to breathe with Covid.


GPs step up rollout of Covid-19 boosters

Boris Johnson confirms a patient has died with Omicron in UK


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Jaguar Land Rover Halts Production at UK Plant Amid Supplier Disruption
UK Police Reverse Position, Confirm Arrests Will Resume for Palestine Action Protests
UK Small Businesses Face Europe’s Steepest Cost Pressures, New Survey Reveals
US Envoy Urges UK to Proceed with King’s Visit Amid Diplomatic Sensitivities
FTSE 100 Drops Over One Percent as Middle East Tensions Weigh on Markets
UK CO2 Plant Set to Reopen as Authorities Move to Safeguard Supplies Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Urges Stronger Defence Investment as He Questions Allied Naval Capabilities
New COVID Variant Detected in UK Raises Concerns Over Vaccine Effectiveness
FTSE Russell Moves to Standardise Free-Float Rules for UK and International Listings
HBO Max Launches in UK and Ireland, Marking Major Step in Global Streaming Expansion
UK Signals Readiness to Seize Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ Vessels in Escalation of Sanctions Enforcement
Escalating Middle East Conflict Seen as Major Threat to UK Economic Stability
Early Challenges Mark Prince Harry and Meghan’s Australia Visit
UK Government Rejects Cover-Up Claims After Theft of Former PM Aide’s Phone
Cyprus Opens Strategic Talks with UK Over Sovereign Base Areas
UK Faces Risk of Sharp Inflation Surge Despite Stable Pre-Crisis Figures
UK Police Arrest Two Over Suspected Antisemitic Arson as Iran Link Investigated
UK Inflation Holds at Three Percent Ahead of Oil Price Shock from Iran Conflict
UK Fuel Prices Face Upward Pressure as Global Oil Trends Raise Cost Outlook
Girlguiding UK Sets September Deadline for Membership Policy Change Affecting Trans Participants
Germany and UK Accelerate Wind Power Expansion to Strengthen Energy Security
UK Moves to Ban Cryptocurrency Donations to Political Parties Over Foreign Influence Concerns
UK and Turkey Finalise Major Air Defence Agreement Worth Billions
Apple Introduces Mandatory Age Verification for iPhone Users in the UK
Diverging Views Emerge Over Meghan Markle’s Planned Australia Appearance
Trump Signals Frustration with UK Leadership Amid Diverging Approaches to Iran Conflict
UK Government Takes Control of Hunterston B as Landmark Nuclear Decommissioning Begins
UK Public Inflation Expectations Jump Sharply in March, Raising Pressure on Bank of England
UK Ministers Warn Expanded North Sea Drilling Would Deepen Exposure to Global Energy Volatility
Delayed UK Defence Investment Plan Leaves Suppliers Under Severe Financial Strain
Can Iran Strike the UK? Assessing the Real Military Threat as Conflict Escalates
Sanctioned Iranian Banker Linked to Luxury Marbella Villa Through UK Corporate Structure
Casey Bloys Navigates HBO Max UK Launch, Paramount Integration and Industry Buzz Over Netflix Meeting
Iran Conflict Sparks Sharp Turbulence in UK Mortgage Market, Reaching Pandemic-Era Disruption Levels
Major Donor Urges University of Kentucky to Reconsider Mitch Barnhart’s Post-Retirement Role
United Kingdom Moves to Lead International Effort to Reopen Strait of Hormuz
UK Police Investigate Targeted Attack on Jewish Ambulance Vehicles
UK Police Investigate Targeted Attack on Jewish Ambulance Vehicles
Senior UK Advocate Criticises Barnhart Retirement Appointment, Calls for Reconsideration
UK Finds No Evidence of Direct Iranian Threat to Britain, Says Prime Minister Starmer
Assessing Iran’s Strike Capability and the UK’s Readiness Amid Rising Tensions
NATO Unable to Confirm Iran’s Role in Strike on UK-US Base as Tehran Denies Involvement
University of Kentucky’s Youling Xiong Receives SEC Faculty Achievement Award for 2026
Trump Highlights Satirical Portrayal of UK Leadership Amid Talks with Prime Minister Starmer on Iran Conflict
Trump Highlights Satirical Portrayal of UK Leadership Amid Talks with Prime Minister Starmer on Iran Conflict
UK Fuel Prices Surge Toward Crisis Levels as Experts Warn of Further Sharp Increases
UK Fuel Prices Surge Toward Crisis Levels as Experts Warn of Further Sharp Increases
Duchess of Sussex Secures ‘As Ever’ Trademark Rights in Australia Ahead of High-Profile Visit
UK Reaffirms Security as Officials Reject Claims of Immediate Iranian Missile Threat
Rising Middle East Tensions Spark ‘Trumpflation’ Debate Over Impact on UK Households
×