UK says booster shots to fight coronavirus variants ready by September

Britain's vaccines minister says booster shots designed to fight new variants of the coronavirus should be ready for distribution to people over 70 by September.

Topics
Coronavirus

AP  |  London 

Photo: Shutterstock
Photo: Shutterstock

Britain's vaccines minister says booster shots designed to fight new variants of the should be ready for distribution to people over 70 by September.

Nadhim Zahawi told the Daily Telegraph newspaper the government is expecting up to eight different shots to be available by the autumn, including some that may protect against variants.

He said booster shots would be given first to the frontline health workers, the elderly and people with serious health conditions that make them more vulnerable to COVID-19.

While much of Europe is seeing a new surge in the pandemic, Britain is counting on a rapid mass-vaccination programme to help it end lockdown and curb Europe's outbreak.

Nearly 30 million people in the UK, accounting for 55 per cent of all adults, have received a first dose of vaccine. The UK has recorded more than 126,000 confirmed deaths.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Dear Reader,


Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.

As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.

Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.

Digital Editor

Read our full coverage on Coronavirus
First Published: Sat, March 27 2021. 18:02 IST
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU