More than a million people booked a COVID-19 vaccine through the NHS website on Tuesday – a record.
The benchmark came on the day that reservations were opened to people aged 25-29 and appear to have dismissed any suggestion that young people might be reluctant to get the shot.
A total of 1,082,596 first and second dose slots were filled during the 24-hour period online and by phone – approximately 45,000 per hour on average and over 750 per minute.
This compares to the 279,678 doses booked through the National Reservation Service on Monday, June 7.
The figures include appointments made with the national reservation service and the 119 call service, but, although some GP practices are listed on the national reservation system, most book people separately.
The younger age group is receiving phased texts this week with instructions on how to book their jab and the initial push on Tuesday morning resulted in 100,000 bookings per hour between 7am and noon.
Sir Simon Stevens, chief executive of the NHS, said the rush of 25-29 has sent bookings to “blockbuster levels”.
He said: “Enthusiasm for the largest and most successful vaccination program remains strong as reservations for the life-saving vaccine hit an all-time high yesterday.
“And the obvious enthusiasm of young adults to get their jabs blew up the suggestion that people in their twenties might not come forward to protect themselves and their loved ones.”
On Monday, the government revealed a partnership with dating apps, offering vaccine-related features to encourage young people to get bitten.
But there was growing evidence that participation among people in this age group may be higher than expected, although they are generally less at risk of complications from the virus.
According to figures from the Office for National Statistics, positive sentiment about the vaccine among those under 30 is lower than that of the national population.
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-06-09 13:48:00
