U.K. Set to Beat Vaccine Target by a Month Even as Cases Surge

(Bloomberg) -- U.K. authorities expect to be able to offer all adults their first dose of coronavirus vaccine by the end of June, potentially beating Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s target by a month.

After the vaccine program was opened up to the over 25s last week, people over the age of 18 are on course to be offered a vaccine by June 30, according to a person familiar with the plan. The official target remains to offer all adults a first shot by the end of July.

While the faster-than-expected vaccine rollout provides cause for optimism, Prime Minister Boris Johnson still looks set to delay the final stage of his blueprint for reopening the economy, planned for June 21.

That’s because Covid cases are still rising, fueled by the faster-spreading delta variant. The government is now trying to ensure more Britons get their second vaccine dose faster, giving people more than 80% immunity compared with about a third for a single shot.

Johnson will hold a televised press conference with his chief medical and scientific advisers at 6 p.m. in London.

As of June 12, about 41.6 million adults have received a first dose, and 29.8 million of those have had both shots. The government has already reduced the interval between doses to eight weeks from 12 for over-50s, to ensure the most vulnerable groups are protected sooner.

“The key for us is to catch up with those second doses,” Health Minister Edward Argar told BBC radio. “We’ve got the supply to be able to do that.”

With new daily cases exceeding 7,000 for the past four days, Johnson is preparing to announce a delay of as long as a month to the planned June 21 reopening in order to better protect the population against the resurgent virus.

Johnson Set to Delay Lifting Covid Rules as U.K. Cases Rise

The fourth and final stage of reopening England’s economy from its third lockdown had envisaged nightclubs reopening for the first time in 15 months, dropping social-distancing rules and allowing concert venues, theaters and sports stadiums to be filled to capacity.

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