Hospitals in London will begin at the end of this month with a trial in which people are vaccinated 24 hours a day against COVID-19, says minister Nadhim Zahawi on Monday. In this way, the government hopes to vaccinate people more quickly.

The vaccinations in England are currently taking place between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. According to Zahawi, that is fine because now older people are particularly eligible for the vaccine. For this group, these times are well compatible with everyday life, he says to Sky News.

The minister, who deals with the vaccination policy, says that this changes as more people are eligible for the vaccine. There will be more people who want to be vaccinated late in the evening or early in the morning.

The announcement of Zahawi comes on the day when in England it is no longer only 80-year-olds and some of the care staff who can be vaccinated. 70-year-olds and extremely vulnerable are now allowed to get vaccine.

Prime minister Boris Johnson aims to have vaccinated these first four groups, consisting of about 14 million people, in mid-February. Then, among others, teachers, agents and shopkeepers follow. In order to achieve this, capacity is greatly increased.