THE Covid vaccination programme has opened up to more age groups for those in their 20s - as bookings went live this morning.
Everyone aged 23 and over in the region is now able to book their first dose through the national NHS booking system.
It comes as the easing of lockdown rules have been delayed beyond June 21 for four more weeks due to concerns over a rise in Covid case rates.
As he announced lockdown rules would not be lifted until July 19 at the earliest, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it would allow more time to deliver vaccines.
Read more: All areas in the North East and North Yorkshire see RISE in Covid cases
The target of offering jabs to all adults by the end of July has been brought forward to July 19 as a result.
The delay in lifting lockdown also means that more people will be able to receive their second jab, with the PM last night sayng over 40s should have their second jab eight weeks after their first.
It is hoped that the delay for easing restrictions will mean that around two-thirds of adults will have been offered two doses of vaccine by the new target date.
During the Downing Street briefing on Monday, the PM said: “By Monday July 19, we will aim to have double jabbed around two thirds of the adult population including everyone over 50, all the vulnerable, all frontline health and care workers and everyone over 40 who received their first dose by mid-May.
“To do this we will now accelerate the second jabs for those over 40, just as we did for the vulnerable groups, so they get the maximum protection as fast as possible.
Read more: People urged to get vaccine as North East cases SURGE with Indian variant
“And we will bring forward our target to give every adult in the country a first dose by July 19, that is including young people over the age of 18, with 23 and 24-year-olds invited to book jabs from tomorrow so we reduce transmission among groups that mix the most and to give the NHS that extra time.”
It comes as health leaders in the North East and North Yorkshire yesterday urged people to take up the vaccine as soon as they could as cases here surged.
Directors of Public Health from local authorities on Teesside and in Tyne and Wear made the calls as figures showed every council area had seen a rise in cases in the past week.
Alice Wiseman, Director of Public Health for Gateshead, revealed that the Delta variant – formerly known as the Indian variant – was now accounting for 40 per cent of the area's cases.
She made the comments as she urged people to take up both jabs of the vaccine in a timely manner to help prevent its spread.
She said: "We know the vaccine still is effective with that [the Delta] variant but it is not as effective after the first dose so we need to have people having both doses to be effective.”
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