The dates are as follows:
- 30-34 year olds: bookings open on Friday, 14 May and appointments start on Saturday, 15 May
- 25-29 year olds: bookings open on Friday, 4 June and appointments start on Saturday, 5 June
- 18-24 year olds: bookings open on Friday, 18 June and appointments start on Saturday, 19 June
It’s hoped that all islanders over 18 will have been offered both doses of the covid vaccine by mid-August.
The new dates are slightly behind the original schedule – something Vaccination Programme Head Becky Sherrington put down to the new guidance not to offer the AstraZeneca jab to people under 40.
“Last week, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advised that, as a precautionary measure, people under the age of 40 with no underlying health conditions should be offered an alternative vaccine to Oxford-AstraZeneca,” she explained.
“This change of advice from the JCVI is a positive and reassuring step for younger people receiving the vaccine but it has had a small impact on our vaccination schedule for the remainder of the programme. This means that appointments for everyone under the age of 30 years old will now open in June. However, we will have offered everyone over the age of 18 both doses of the vaccine by mid-August 2021.”
She continued: “I’d once again like to reiterate the importance of younger people attending for their vaccination as soon as they are eligible, to not delay booking. Although covid-19 in younger adults is usually milder than in adults, you can get unwell and have complications or long-lasting symptoms that affect your health and well-being.”