Young people in Milton Keynes could get 'rewards' for having the COVID vaccine

    Major companies are offering 'rewards' to young people that choose to have the vaccine in a bid to boost uptake.

    Asda, National Express, lastminute.com, Deliveroo and Uber are among the businesses offering incentives for unvaccinated young people.

    The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said Asda will offer £10 vouchers for their clothing brand George to vaccinated 18-year-olds who spend over £20.

    Travel site lastminute.com will be offering £30 gift cards towards foreign holidays for over 18s that have the jab.

    National Express Buses in the Midlands will offer 1,000 people five-day unlimited travel saver tickets which can be used within 90 days.

    Deliveroo has revealed further details of their support, including thousands of £5 vouchers to those who get the vaccine and will distribute those "in the coming weeks".

    Uber is expected to reveal details of its incentives later on this month to promote uptake as term time approaches.

    Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, said: "It is fantastic to see more companies backing the phenomenal vaccine rollout and joining the public as they do everything they can to continue protecting their loved ones, themselves, their community and this country.

    "With over 84,000 lives already saved and 23 million infections prevented by the vaccines, get the jab as soon as possible and take advantage of these excellent offers - whether that's for taxi rides, gym passes, or trips away with family and friends."

    This comes as over 70% of young people aged 18 to 29 in England have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, providing vital protection against infection and serious illness from the virus.

    A total of 5,940,038 people in this age group have received a first dose (70.2%) and 2,683,434 people have received both doses (32.4%).

    From today (16/8), double vaccinated people will also no longer be required to self-isolate if they are identified as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case.

    People will continue to be advised to take a PCR test to detect the virus and variants of concern and anyone who tests positive will still be legally required to self-isolate, irrespective of their vaccination status.

    Individuals will be required to prove they’ve had 2 jabs to enter nightclubs and other venues where large crowds gather by the end of September.

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