8 June see vaccine bookings top the million mark

There were more than one million bookings for a coronavirus vaccine through the NHS website on 8 June, a record high figure and the first time daily appointments booked through the national booking service have topped the million mark.

NHS England has said that the ‘blockbuster’ surge in jabs being reserved is the latest landmark in the biggest vaccination drive in NHS history, as the NHS Covid Vaccination programme opened up to people in their 20s and marked six months since the first vaccination was given.

Sir Simon Stevens, the health service chief executive, said the figures appear to have ‘blown out of the water’ the suggestion that younger people might not want to be protected by vaccination.

As eligibility extended to people aged 25 to 29 yesterday morning, a total of 1,082,596 first and second dose slots were snapped up across the day online and by phone, around 45,000 an hour on average and more than 750 every minute, over the full 24 hours.

So far the NHS in England has delivered more than 58 million vaccine doses to over 75 per cent of adults.

Stevens said: “Enthusiasm for the biggest and most successful vaccination programme remains strong as bookings for the lifesaving jab reached an all-time high yesterday, and the obvious enthusiasm of younger adults to get their jab has blown out of the water the suggestion that people in their 20s might not come forward to protect themselves and their loved ones.

“The Covid-19 vaccine is still the best protection against coronavirus and as further supplies become available to us week by week it’s great that we’ve seen 25 to 29 year olds sending bookings to blockbuster levels, following hard on the heels of the millions of others. Getting the lifesaving Covid-19 jab is the most important thing you can do, so book your appointment and get that vital protection. Remember: when you get the text, you’re next.”

Emily Lawson, lead for the NHS Covid Vaccination Programme, said: “Hitting one million bookings in a day sends a fantastic signal that getting the Covid-19 vaccine is something that all of us – no matter our age – can value and be excited by and most importantly should get, when our opportunity comes.

“What I hope and expect we will see in the coming weeks, is that everyone who is yet to book their jab or be invited, will follow the example of the people who seized the moment yesterday, not just by getting their first jab but maximising their protection and making sure they get both doses.”