Health Secretary Sajid Javid (C) visiting to a pop-up vaccination site in west London in July. Photo: Dominic Lipinski/PA Images via Getty Images
The U.K. government is expanding its COVID-19 vaccine booster program in an attempt to avoid following other European countries in imposing restrictions to counter coronavirus surges, per Bloomberg.
What's happening: Health Secretary Sajid Javid said that everyone over the age of 40 could get a booster shot from Monday.
The big picture: Germany, Austria and the Netherlands have in recent weeks implemented restrictions on citizens, as Western Europe faces a new wave of coronavirus infections.
What they're saying: "It's very sad to see cases rising, surging, in certain parts of Europe," Javid said during a Sky News interview Sunday.
- "What’s made a real difference here in the U.K. is our booster program," Javid added.
By the numbers: 15 million people have had a third dose of the vaccine in the U.K., Javid said in a statement Sunday.
- U.K. COVID-19 cases in the seven days to Sunday rose 9.4% compared to the previous week, but the coronavirus death toll and hospitalizations have both dropped, per Public Health England.
- The total number of deaths within 28 days of a positive test reported in this seven-day period stands at 1,029, down 5.9% compared to the previous week.
- 6,087 people were hospitalized in the seven days to Sunday, down 4.7%.