AS THE government hit their target of vaccinating 15 million people by February 15 and offered a jab to everyone in the top four priority groups, the UK has entered the next phase of the rollout.

Many areas are now inviting people over 60 as well as some over the 50s to get their first dose.

When getting a vaccine, or going with a relative to get theirs at Salt Hill Activity Centre, you might’ve noticed a young person getting their jab or being offered one.

A spokesperson from Slough Borough Council said this could be due to the government now inviting people aged 16-64 with underlining health conditions or those who are unpaid carers for the elderly and disabled.

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Last week, the government added an extra 1.7 million people to the shielding list, prioritising them to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

This new list now has a mix of people from different age groups and considers things such as ethnicity, deprivation, and weight to work out a person’s risk of becoming seriously ill if they were to catch Covid-19.

The spokesperson said 5,868 Slough residents were added to this list – more than double the size of the previous shielding list – and have people who are 18 in this new model.

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They said: “The cohorts started off with over 80s, over 75s, over 70s, over 65s, over 60s, and now because it’s going so fast in Slough and doing so well locally, we’re going with anyone with certain underlining health conditions.”

In the government’s vaccination plan, they hope to vaccinate everyone over the age of 18 in the UK with one dose by the end of July.