COVID-19: Vaccination Rollout Begins for over-70s in England

This week, individuals in England aged 70 and over, as well as those identified as clinically extremely vulnerable, will start receiving coronavirus vaccine offerings.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the move was a "significant milestone" in the vaccination program of the nation, reports BBC.

It comes as 10 new mass vaccination hubs open across England.

Also from Monday, the UK is closing its travel corridors to protect against "as yet unidentified new strains" of Covid.

The extension of the vaccine program to the third and fourth target classes comes as the number of citizens getting the first dose has risen to 3.8 million in the United Kingdom - more than the positive tests (3.4 million) since the beginning of the pandemic.

The Department of Health and Social Care said, however, people in the top two categories - care home residents, those aged 80 and over and front-line healthcare staff - should still be prioritized for vaccines.

A further 298,087 people received their first dose of the vaccine on Saturday, and Health Secretary Matt Hancock said half of all those aged 80 and over had received at least one vaccine dose so far.