Vaccine shortfall may delay jabs for under-50s in Britain

Deliveries from two suppliers curtailed due to production and testing issues, say Hancock; UK reports five cases of rare blood clots in AstraZeneca rollout; Italy mourns its virus dead as third wave builds

Britain is facing a shorfall in COVID-19 vaccine supplies that may delay the start of shots for people under 50 ater deliveries from two suppliers were curtailed due to production and testing issues.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Thursday that 1.7 million doses of vaccine had been delayed because the shipment had to be retested. Some deliveries from the Serum Institute of India have also been delayed, he said, without explaining why.

“Events like this are to be expected in a new manufacturing endeavor of this complexity,” Hancock told the House of Commons.

Hancock’s comments came a day after the National Health Service told doctors that vaccine supplies would be “significantly constrained” beginning March 29.

As a result, people under 50 shouldn’t be inoculated for the time being, unless they have underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk from COVID-19, the NHS said in a letter to public health officials.