U.K. widens vax effort to avoid a ‘blizzard’ of cases

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Monday of a “blizzard” of new coronavirus infections coming into the U.K. from continental Europe, as his government extended the vaccine booster program to younger people in an effort to limit the pandemic during the winter months.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization, the independent body of scientists that makes vaccine recommendations to the British government, said people age 40 to 49 will also be eligible for a vaccine booster shot six months after their initial shot.

Up until now, people aged 50 and over, as well as those deemed to be vulnerable in younger age groups, had been eligible for boosters.

The committee said second doses of the Pfizer vaccine have also been approved for 16- and 17-year-olds 12 weeks after their first. It said the broadening of the booster campaign and the offer of a second jab to older teens will “help extend our protection into 2022.”

Johnson urged people to get their booster to get the extra level of protection amid growing concerns of the virus outlook in Europe following fresh lockdowns in Austria and the Netherlands.

“What we have certainly got to recognize is there is a storm of infection out there in parts of Europe, you can see those numbers ticking up very sharply in some of our continental friends,” he said. “And we’ve just got to recognize that there is always a risk that a blizzard could come from the east again as the months get colder.”

Though cases have steadily fallen in recent weeks, there have been signs over the past few days that they are ticking up again, particularly among students. Over the past week, there have been more than 260,000 confirmed infections, 6% higher than the previous week.