All over-50s to get second dose of Covid-19 vaccine early in bid to prevent deadly wave due to Indian variant

In England, everyone over 50 or with a pre-existing health condition should now get a second dose of the coronavirus vaccine eight weeks after their first in order to boost their protection against Covid-19 in light of the growing Indian variant. The independent regulator has recommended the change in strategy in order to reduce the number of people who are vulnerable to serious illness if the spread of the new strain leads to a spike in infections. Ministers are confident the new approach can be delivered without slowing down the rollout of first doses to the under-40s, because most people waiting for a second dose have received Oxford/AstraZeneca whereas younger cohorts will be given Pfizer or Moderna instead.