
UK may start vaccinating young people in hotspots to combat spread of variant found in India
CNN
Growing concerns over the spread of the coronavirus variant first identified in India may force the United Kingdom to tweak its Covid-19 vaccination program to prioritize people in the most affected areas, a top health official said Friday.
Data released by Public Health England (PHE) on Thursday showed the number of confirmed cases of the B.1.617.2 variant in the UK has more than doubled in just a week, rising from 520 to 1,313 infections. The vast majority of cases were identified in England, with only a handful occurring in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. UK Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi said the country would "flex" its vaccine rollout in response to the growth of the variant. Younger people in certain areas, such as parts of northwest England and London, could be vaccinated sooner than scheduled, and officials could also shorten the time gap between first and second shots, Zahawi said.More Related News