COVID-19 vaccine
COVID-19 vaccineiStock

Britain will offer booster vaccines against COVID-19 to 32 million citizens starting early next month with up to 2,000 pharmacies set to deliver the program, The Telegraph reported on Sunday.

Amid fears that the efficacy of the vaccines may begin to decline, ministers are planning to deliver an average of almost 2.5 million third doses a week starting in the first week of September.

Pharmacies will be at the forefront of the vaccine program so that GPs and other NHS staff can focus on the growing backlog of patients waiting for other treatments, according to The Telegraph.

All adults aged 50 and over, as well as the immuno-suppressed, will be offered the booster jabs.

The campaign could start as soon as September 6, which would see the rollout completed by early December if it goes to plan.

Proposals have been drawn up for the COVID-19 vaccine to be co-administered alongside the flu jab, with one injection in each arm mooted.

Ministers are considering giving people a different booster jab to the shot they received for their first and second dose, after early trials suggested that mixing vaccines could provoke an enhanced immune response. It could mean a significant reduction in the use of AstraZeneca jabs, noted the report.

This past Friday, Israel launched its mass vaccination campaign promoting a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

President Isaac Herzog and his wife, Michal, were the first to receive the third dose, with Bennett accompanying the two at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer.

Israel is the first country in the world to offer a third dose of the COVID vaccine, with the government urging Israelis over the age of 60 to receive a third jab to combat the spread of the Delta variant.

Pfizer recently announced plans to ask US regulators to authorize a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine within the next month.

Following that announcement, top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said that “it is entirely conceivable, maybe likely” that Americans will need a booster dose but also stressed that it is too soon for the government to recommend another shot.

Last week, he said that booster shots may be suggested for people with suppressed immune systems who have been vaccinated.