Covid: All Manx adults to get first vaccine dose by May

All adults on the Isle of Man will be able to get a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine months earlier than previously planned, the health minister has said.

David Ashford said the number of people vaccinated each day would rise to 1,000 due to an "uptick" in deliveries.

The increased pace would mean all adults who wanted one would get their first dose by the end of May, he added.

The island's vaccine roll-out was due to end in September with the last people getting a first jab in August.

The government announced last week the interval between doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab would be extended to between eight and 10 weeks, which means the remaining second jabs would be administered by early August.

The vaccination programme will continue through the island's third lockdown, which began on Wednesday following a surge in Covid-19 cases.

More than 15,000 people have received their first dose of either the Pfizer or the Oxford jab and nearly 8,000 have had their second.

All residents in care homes and their carers have had their first vaccine, while the final invitations for those aged over 70, and the clinically extremely vulnerable, were sent out this week, the government said.

Letters inviting people aged over 65, who are in the fifth priority group, will be issued from this week.

The vaccination of air and sea crews, who have been prioritised for the jab, has begun with over 70 getting their first dose and a further 45 scheduled for the next week.

Mr Ashford said the "process is moving well" and the island would be vaccinating the "wider adult population at the same time as the UK".

There have been 546 Covid-19 cases on the Isle of Man, 106 of which are active. Twenty-five people have died.

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