Boris Johnson says more time needed to combat Delta variant and allow more people to be vaccinated
Boris Johnson has announced a four-week delay to the final lockdown easing and a speeding up of second vaccine doses, saying the extra time could prevent thousands of unnecessary deaths.
No 10 said the data was now clear that two doses of the vaccine were needed to combat the new Delta variant and said it was right to allow more time to give millions more people second doses. Johnson slashed the interval between the first and second jabs from 12 weeks to eight for the over-40s, a step which has already been taken for older adults.
