The UK can meet the target of vaccinating all over-50s by May, the chairman of the vaccines taskforce has said, adding he is “very optimistic”.
Dr Clive Dix told the BBC the taskforce has met every target set.
The UK would be “ahead of the game” in terms of anticipating variants of coronavirus and was making “libraries of future vaccines”, he said.
He added that the UK would not hoard supplies but would distribute them globally, once the UK target is met.
Downing Street has said everyone in the UK aged 50 and over should have been offered a coronavirus vaccine by May.
Previously, ministers had said it was their “ambition” to vaccinate the first nine priority groups by the spring.
