London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 01, 2025

UK to be hit by ‘significant reduction’ in Covid vaccine supplies within a fortnight, prompting rollout change – leaked NHS letter

UK to be hit by ‘significant reduction’ in Covid vaccine supplies within a fortnight, prompting rollout change – leaked NHS letter

A letter leaked to the UK media has detailed how the country’s oft-praised Covid-19 vaccine rollout could be hit by major supply shortfalls in less than two weeks’ time, with orders for inoculation centres to halt new bookings.

“There will be a significant reduction in weekly supply available from manufacturers beginning in the week commencing 29 March, meaning volumes for first doses will be significantly constrained,” reads the letter, sent on Wednesday by National Health Service (NHS) chiefs to local officials and trusts.


A four-week shortfall is likely throughout April, due to “reductions in national inbound vaccines supply,” the missive continues.

The supply constraint means vaccination centres and community pharmacy-led local vaccination services should close unfilled bookings from March 29 and should not take any further bookings for April, the letter says.

On Wednesday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock officially invited all people aged 50 and over to come forward for the vaccine, with those aged 49 and under eligible for the vaccine only in “exceptional circumstances”.

People aged 50 to 55 are the final cohort of nine in the country’s vaccination campaign, the details of which the government announced back in December.

At a coronavirus briefing, Hancock defended the UK’s vaccine rollout, saying the delivery of supplies could indeed be “lumpy”, but the leaked missive was a “normal operational letter”.

“Everybody who is aged 50 and above will be able to get vaccinated by 15 April,” he said in response to questions from the media, reassuring the public that there was “enough supply” and fluctuating vaccine stocks were “par for the course.”

He said the government was committed to giving everyone in the UK a Covid-19 vaccine dose by the end of July, and the supply shortfall would not affect the country’s lockdown exit plan.

More than 25 million people in the UK have now received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, according to government data published on Wednesday.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
×