Around one in five over-75s have not yet received a spring Covid booster jab, according to new data.
Vaccine leaders urged those eligible to come forward for the vaccine as soon as possible.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) today announced that 79% of over-75s have taken up the booster vaccine since the programme launched at the end of March.
It added that this includes 78% of those aged 75 to 79 and 80% of over-80s.
The new data measured the number of booster doses administered from 21 March up to 8 May compared with the number of those recorded as being aged 75 and over on 31 March.
More than 3.1 million spring boosters have so far been administered to eligible patients – which include the over-75s, care home residents and over-12s who are immunosuppressed – UKHSA added.
UKHSA chief executive Dr Jenny Harries said the uptake figures were ‘very encouraging’ but urged those who are eligible but have not yet come forward to do so.
NHS England deputy lead for the NHS Covid-19 vaccination programme and chief GP Dr Nikki Kanani added: ‘This latest data shows that the NHS Covid-19 vaccination programme has vaccinated four in five of eligible over-75s with a spring booster, with more than 1.3 million coming forward in under two months for additional protection thanks to NHS staff continuing to work at speed to roll these fourth doses out.
‘We know that millions of other eligible people have also had their spring booster, either because they are immunosuppressed or live in a care home, and I would encourage anyone receiving invites in the coming days and weeks, or yet to act on theirs, to come forward and book in to get what is a proven, significant increase in protection from Covid-19.’
Vaccines minister Maggie Throup also urged people to ‘come forward’ for the jab ‘as soon as you are eligible’.
At the time, it said that around half (51%) of those eligible had so far received spring boosters, with 2.8 million vaccinated out of around 5.5 million who ‘will be eligible for this dose by the end of June’.
And last month, the BMA called for new Covid restrictions as it was revealed that around half of those invited to take up spring Covid boosters had accepted the offer and received a jab.
