People over 70 should contact the NHS to set up an appointment for the Covid vaccine

People aged 70 and over who have not yet received a coronavirus vaccine are encouraged to make an appointment with the NHS.

The Health Secretary said at a Downing Street press conference: ‘So far we have said please wait for the NHS to contact you – but now that message is about to change . ”

Matt Hancock has told anyone living in England, aged 70 and over who has not yet received a stroke, to contact the NHS now.

He said the easiest way to do this is to use the nationwide reservation service on the nhs.uk website, or to call 119 or contact your local GP if you can’t log in.

It comes as the government is a few days away from confirming whether it has achieved its goal of offering all people in the four main priority groups vaccination against Covid-19 before mid-February.

“I was delighted to see so much enthusiasm to come forward for a jab and I’m so happy the turnout was so high,” added Mr. Hancock.

“But we are not going to rest until all those who are vulnerable have been protected.

“So the NHS and local authorities and the teams that work with them are doing all they can to reach the remaining people in these at-risk groups.

And we will continue to research these latter percentages and even as we expand the vaccine offering to younger age groups.

“We are on track to meet our goal of having a vaccine for everyone in priority groups one to four by February 15, a week today, before moving on to the other priority groups.

Dr Nikki Kanani, medical director of primary care at NHS England and practicing general practitioner, added: ‘The NHS vaccination program, the largest in the history of health services, has got off to a good start with every eligible nursing home with one visit and millions more. be vaccinated in one of 1,500 centers across the country thanks to the tireless efforts of my colleagues.

But if you are 70 and over and have not yet received your vaccine, please show up and make an appointment as soon as possible.

“The vaccine is safe, simple and will provide you and those around you with crucial protection against this virus.

Mr Hancock also confirmed that to date 12.2 million people in the UK have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, nearly one in four adults in the UK.

He said there was also “ significantly ” higher adoption than what experts predicted.

“So far, taking the vaccine has been significantly better than we expected,” added the Secretary of Health.

“Based on the work we had done before the vaccination program began and looking at the surveys, we knew the UK had one of the most positive attitudes towards vaccine uptake.

“ But even so we thought we were going to take about 75% and I’m really happy to be able to tell you that at midnight last night among the over 80s we have now given a first dose at 91%. “

The list of priority Covid-19 vaccines, established by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization, currently includes nine groups.

Currently, the four main priority groups are being targeted, which all include those over 70, health and social service workers, residents of nursing homes, their caregivers, and people considered clinically extremely vulnerable to the virus.

Contact our news team by sending us an email at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check out our news page.