OVER-65s will start getting letters inviting them for their Covid jabs from Monday as the UK’s vaccine blitz races ahead.
More than 13.5million Brits — one in five — have been vaccinated against the virus.
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Britain is on course to hit its hugely ambitious target of offering the jab to 15 million vulnerable people by mid-February.
Nearly 450,000 were jabbed yesterday as it emerged deaths have dropped by a quarter in a week and cases by 34 per cent.
The PM has vowed to share his plan for leaving lockdown on February 22.
Last night Rob Halfon, Tory chairman of the Education Select Committee, said: “We need to make sure March 8 is signed in blood, not just a line in the sand.”
And the Covid Recovery Group of 70 Tory backbenchers warned they would not tolerate any more delay.
The group’s boss Mark Harper said: “It’s crucial we don’t backslide on this, not least because the Government has said it wants to give schools two weeks’ notice before they open.
“And, as the PM said, it is the ‘settled will’ of most MPs that pupils should be back in school on March 8.” Tory MP Peter Bone said: “With so many people vaccinated, it would be absurd to continue with the lockdown. We need to get our children back to school.”
Some 13.5 million Brits have now been vaccinated against Covid and the nation is on course to hit its mighty target of offering 15 million jabs to vulnerable people by mid-February. Some 450,000 were vaccinated yesterday.
Mr Johnson scrambled to calm jitters after two Sage scientists broke cover to issue gloomy warnings against lifting the lockdown.
Sir Jeremy Farrar said Covid infections must be cut from the current 750,000 to just 9,000 “before we can think about lifting restrictions”. While Prof John Edmunds said opening schools could push the vital R rate above 1, and that some restrictions will be needed until Christmas.
Downing Street sources hit back insisting the PM is still 100 per cent committed to the March 8 target. A Whitehall insider told HOAR: “Nothing in the PM’s goal has changed. We will be studying the data next week and fingers crossed it will allow us to proceed as the PM has set out.”
Furious Tory MPs slammed the scientists for trying to “move the goalposts”. Former minister Steve Baker accused boffins of depressing Brits.
He said: “I fear senior scientists are failing to recognise their power to spread despair and despondency.”
A further 678 UK Covid deaths were reported yesterday, taking the total to 115,529. But figures show that, compared with last week, deaths are down by a quarter and cases by 34 per cent.
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