Will vaccine shortages be the next threat to UKs roadmap to freedom?
The rate at which vaccines are being given out has slowed (Picture: Metro)  The UKs vaccine rollout is now lagging behind other European countries with leaders admitting supplies of the crucial Pfizer jab are tight.  Latest figures show only 368,555 doses were administered on Monday, around half the 844,285 jabs given out on a single day in March. Boris Johnson is pining his hopes of ending all restrictions on July 19 on finishing the job and getting all adults vaccinated. But the data shows the rate at which doses are being administered is slowing and may yet fall further. Just over 20% of the population are still unvaccinated while more than 40% havent had the second dose needed to ensure protection against the Delta variant. This morning all over 21s were invited to book their appointments but many are reporting waits of several weeks before securing a slot for their first jab. Its proving tricky to vaccinate younger people quickly because of the decision to limit the AstraZeneca vaccine to over 40s due to concerns about rare blood clots. This means the rollout is almost entirely dependent on the Pfizer option, with some Moderna doses also available. Areas hit hard by Delta variant cases are calling for more jabs (Picture: Metro Graphics)  On Tuesday, Sir Simon Stevens, the head of the NHS chief, told a conference that the rollout cannot go any faster because Pfizer supplies are constrained.  Its after vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi last week admitted stocks of the jab would be tight this month. Leaders in areas hard hit by the Delta strain have called for more doses to be delivered but are instead seeing supplies dwindle. In Salford, Greater Manchester, the local MP Barbara Keeley said theyd been told to expect just 2,200 Pfizer doses next week, down from 3,500. This is despite the area having one of the worst infection rates in the country, with more than 300 cases per 100,000. Young people are being given the Pfizer jab only (Picture: Reuters)  The leader of Birmingham City Council Ian Ward told The Telegraph he feared the four week delay to the end of lockdown would make no difference due to the problems. He said: In Birmingham, weve got 37% of people unvaccinated in some areas because of our younger population. Unless the Government can deliver the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines in the right numbers, its hard to see how we could safely unlock on July 19  and that goes for the whole country.  A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: There are no shortages of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines and deliveries are coming in on time and as ordered. Our vaccination programme continues to make phenomenal progress, with more than 71 million vaccines administered so far including 30 million second doses  and we are on track to offer a jab to all adults by July 19. We have been clear that everyone who is due a second dose should receive it on schedule.  Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.