People aged 34 and 35 can book their life-saving COVID-19 jab from today (Thursday), as the biggest and fastest vaccination programme in NHS history continues rolling out to people in their thirties.

More than one million more people will be eligible for a life-saving COVID-19 jab with NHS.UK due to update at 7am.

Texts inviting people to book a vaccination will be sent to those aged 34 and 35 today (Thursday) and tomorrow (Friday).

Younger people in their thirties are expected to be invited over the next few days and weeks.

The latest wave of invitations comes as more than 1.5 million jab appointments were booked when the NHS opened up bookings to people in their thirties last week.

Texts going out to 36 and 37 year olds over the last two days prompted 440,000 bookings through the national booking system on Tuesday.

In total, the NHS has now delivered 48.5 million doses of the jab, and more than one third of adults have had both doses, meaning they have maximum protection from the virus.

On the advice of the government and Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), people aged 50 and over and the clinically vulnerable are having their second doses brought forward to counter the spread of the Indian variant. Nobody needs to contact the NHS and people will be told to rebook if they need to.

National NHS Medical Director Professor Stephen Powis said: “The success of the NHS COVID-19 Vaccination programme, the biggest in history, is not by accident but down to careful planning and precision by NHS staff who have now delivered 48.5 million doses across England in less than six months.

“Getting the vaccine is the single most important step we can take to protect ourselves, our families and our communities against COVID-19, so when you’re called forward, book your appointment and join the tens of millions who have already been jabbed.”

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “Our vaccination programme – the fastest and most successful in NHS history – moves forward at pace with 34 and 35 year olds now being invited for the jab. This is incredible news and means we remain on track to hit our target of offering a vaccine to all adults by the end of July.

“The vaccine is our way out of the pandemic and the key to getting back to normal. I’m delighted that 70% of adults across the country have already been vaccinated with their first dose, and 40% with their second.

“We have one of the highest uptake rates in the world but we’ll continue to do everything we can to make sure no one is left behind. Please come forward for the jab once you get the offer – it could save your life and protect your loved ones.”

By following a link and easy booking steps, people can book both jabs at the same time and can choose from a list of NHS vaccination centres or pharmacy-led vaccination services as well as some GP-led sites.

The NHS made history when Maggie Keenan became the first person in the world to be protected against coronavirus outside of a clinical trial when she received the Pfizer vaccine at Coventry Hospital on 8 December.

Since then more than 30.8 million people have been vaccinated with a first dose in England, almost half of the total adult population.

When invited, people will be able to book at one of the vaccination centre, pharmacy or general practice sites across the country that are available through the national booking service.

Text invitations appear as an alert from ‘NHSvaccine’, including a web link to the NHS website to reserve an appointment.

People who cannot go online can call the service on 119 instead to book their jab.

Vaccinations are now being administered at more than 1,600 sites across the country, including mosques, museums and rugby grounds, meaning the vast majority of the people live within 10 miles of at least one vaccination service.

People aged 39 and under who are eligible and pregnant women will be offered the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine in line with recently updated JCVI guidance.