The Government has set out the plan as to who will be next to receive coronavirus vaccines once all the over-50s and most vulnerable have had their jabs.

Officials hope to have given a first dose to the top nine priority groups by mid-April, and to all adults by the end of July.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has made its recommendations for who should be next in line, in order to meet this target.

What has the JCVI set out?

After the nine groups in phase one, people aged 40 to 49 are at highest risk of hospitalisation, with the risk reducing the younger you are.

The committee has recommended prioritisation should continue down the age ranges, with people in their 40s invited next for a jab.

Who is next?

All those aged 40-49 years.

All those aged 30-39 years.

All those aged 18-29 years

How will people know when it is their turn?

As with the ongoing rollout of Covid-19 vaccines, people will be contacted by their GP or the NHS to book an appointment.

Unlike the top nine groups, which were more or less split up in increments of five years, the new recommendations cover a whole age group – 40s, 30s, and then those aged 18 to 29.

What about calls for key workers, like teachers and the police, to be next on the list?

The data does not suggest teachers are any more at risk of being infected than any other member of the population.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi previously told the Commons Science and Technology Committee it was his “instinct” that those most likely to come into contact with a viral load – teachers, shop workers, policemen and women – would be at the highest risk of getting the virus, and therefore should be the ones to focus on.

However, he added he would be guided by the JCVI.

So why has the JCVI made the recommendations it has?

The JCVI said evidence suggests an age-based approach remains the most effective way of reducing death and hospitalisation from Covid-19.

For phase two, modelling studies also indicate the speed of vaccine deployment is the most important factor in maximising public health benefits against severe outcomes.

The committee said mass vaccination targeting occupational groups would be more complex to deliver and may slow down the vaccine programme, leaving some more vulnerable people at higher risk for longer.

It said operationally, simple and easy-to-deliver programmes are critical for rapid deployment and high vaccine uptake.

What about other high risk groups?

Other people at higher risk of hospitalisation from the virus include men, those from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, those with a body mass index over 30, and those living in deprived neighbourhoods.

The JCVI strongly advises that these people promptly take up the offer of vaccination when they are offered.

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