CLAIM: The United Kingdom is banning anyone under the age of 50 from getting COVID-19 vaccines. AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. While the country will stop widely providing the vaccine to those under 50 next month, anyone deemed to have a clinical need, such as those at risk of severe illness, as well as frontline healthcare workers and caregivers, will still be able to get the shot. THE FACTS: Social media users are claiming the UK is prohibiting any and all people under the age of 50 from getting inoculated against COVID-19.Many are sharing a story from a blog known for spreading COVID misinformation with a headline that reads: “U.K. Becomes Latest Country to Ban Covid Boosters for Under-50s.” Several posts suggest the alleged ban is motivated by concerns about the vaccine’s safety and efficacy. “When folks said ‘the science is settled’ I’m thinking it was not this particular science?! Someone help me here,” wrote an Instagram user who shared a screenshot of the false headline in a post that’s been liked more than 8,500 times as of Friday. But the UK isn’t preventing anyone under the age of 50 from getting the shot if it’s medically necessary, stressed Shaun Whelan, a spokesperson for the UK Health Security Agency, which oversees public health and infectious disease response. Nursing and care home staff, social workers, homecare givers and other frontline workers will also still be eligible for a COVID vaccine, as will anyone who lives with someone who is immunosuppressed, the agency said. And the policy change isn’t a reflection …
