Early evening summary Boris Johnson has said the UK’s vaccine supply shortage will not delay the easing of lockdown measures, telling a news conference “the road to freedom continues unchecked”. Describing the impact of the shortfall, he said “we will receive slightly fewer vaccines in April than in March but that is still more than we received in February and the supply we do have will still enable us to hit the targets we have set”. The dates in the roadmap for England would still apply, he said. He declared: By April 15 we will be able to offer a first dose to all of you who are over 50 as well as those who are under 50 who are clinically vulnerable. We will have the second doses people need within the 12 week window, which means around 12 million people in April and will still offer a first dose to every adult by the end of July. So there is no change to the next steps of the roadmap. We have now vaccinated over 25 million people across our entire United Kingdom, more than the entire population of many countries. Our progress along the road to freedom continues unchecked - we remain on track to reclaim the things we love, to see our families and friends again, to return to our local pubs, our gyms and sports facilities and of course our shops. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has said there is no evidence that the AstraZeneca vaccine causes blood clots and that people should keep using it. But it has also issued new guidance for anyone who has a headache lasting more than four days after getting a jab, in the light of the discovery that five of the 11 million who have had the jab have developed a very rare type of blood clot on the brain. (See 3.12pm.) Johnson has refused to hold the Indian government responsible for the delay in the export of a vaccine consignment ordered by the UK - despite the supplier blaming the Indian authorities. (See 5.46pm.) Asked about this at the press conference, Johnson said: The Indian government hasn’t stopped any export. There is a delay as I have described, as there are very frequently in vaccine rollout programmes. When asked if the Indian government was to blame for the delay, Johnson replied: No, there is a delay as there often is, caused for various technical reasons. We hope, as I have said, to work very closely with the Serum Institute, and indeed with partners around the world, including on the European continent. Johnson’s emollience towards India is in marked contrast to the tone taken by some of his colleagues when discussing the EU’s stance on restricting vaccine exports to the UK. The EU has only floated the idea (unlike India, which seems to have implemented it), but yesterday in response Dominic Raab implied Brussels was acting like an authoritarian regime. Johnson has defended a revived Home Office proposal to send asylum seekers to an offshore centre while their applications are being processed. It was a humanitarian move, he claimed. He told the press conference: The objective here is to save life and avert human misery. Because people are crossing the Channel who are being fooled, who are being conned, by gangsters, into paying huge sums of money, risking their lives. People have died trying to make this crossing and it is a deeply repugnant traffic that we need to stop, and that’s why the Home Secretary has set out the tough series of proposals that you have seen. The objective is a humanitarian one and a humane one, which is to stop the abuse of these people by a bunch of traffickers and gangsters. Johnson also restated his long-held view that he favoured some sort of amnesty for people who have been in the UK illegally for a long time, although he played down the significance of this, saying this was “pretty much what already happens under under the existing rules”. Covid infections could rise as a result of the delay in people in their 40s and younger getting their vaccinations, a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has conceded. Matt Hancock has taken the heat out of a simmering row between the NHS and the government by handing the health service in England an extra £6.6bn to help it cope with the impact of the pandemic. The governments of Gibraltar and the Isle of Man have said they would not house asylum seekers on behalf of the UK, pouring cold water on proposals expected to be unveiled by Priti Patel next week. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here. Another reason for Boris Johnson’s coyness when it comes to criticising India (see 5.46pm) may be that he is planning a major visit there at the end of April. There are no plans in the diary for any equivalent visits to Belgium, or any other countries in the EU. Boris Johnson ends by refusing to comment when asked if he thinks Nicola Sturgeon should resign if she is found to have broken the ministerial code. And that’s it. That was one of the quickest No 10 press conferences we’ve had, and also one of the hollowest in terms of news. What was said about the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine was important, but largely a replay of what was said earlier at a briefing and in a press statement. What was perhaps most interesting was Johnson’s refusal to say the Indian government was to blame for the hold-up in supply of AstraZeneca vaccine from the Serum Institute of India (see 5.22pm) - even though the SII said the Indian government was responsible (see 12.08pm). Here is the Guardian’s latest story on India’s position, by my colleagues Michael Safi and Amrit Dhillon. They report: With caseloads rising, and demand for vaccinations growing at home, the Indian government has asked the Serum Institute to keep more supply at home, and send less to the UK for now, a source authorised to speak for the manufacturer told the Guardian. Government ministers (like Dominic Raab yesterday, or Matt Hancock today) have been happy to criticise the EU for “vaccine nationalism”, or threatening to block the export of vaccine that could be used at home. But they seem much more willing to overlook it if India is involved. The cases are not directly comparable, of course, but this may have something to do with the government not wanting to jeopardise it new, post-Brexit “tilt towards Asia” only two days after this was announced as the UK’s new foreign policy. Q: Has the decision by some countries to suspend AstraZeneca vaccine use affected take-up here? Whitty says there is some anecdotal evidence to the effect. But he says he thinks people will be reassured by what the regulators have said. Q: Should the first anniversary of lockdown be a national day of commemoration? Johnson says he will mark the anniversary, and thought is still being given to a permanent memorial. Whitty says we are not yet at the point where we can see the impact of schools reopening on transmission. Asked about the plan to process asylum applications offshore, Johnson confirms that he still favours an effective amnesty for people who have been in the UK a long time illegally. But he claims this is effectively what happens anyway. Commenting on the plan leaked today (see 11.09am), he says it is a humane plan. It is intended to stop the misery caused by human trafficking across the Channel. Johnson claims Indian government not responsible for delay in supply to UK Q: If GPs have spare vaccine, can they administer that to the under-50s? Whitty says the NHS is prioritising the over-50s. And it is focused on ensuring that it does not miss people in this group out, as it races down the ages. He says vaccinating 20 people in the highest risk group would prevent one death. In the lower groups, you need to vaccinate 1,000 people to prevent one death. That is why they want to ensure they don’t miss anyone in the high-risk groups. Q: What role did the Indian government play in blocking the export of doses to the UK? Isn’t this the sort of vaccine nationalism you call out when the EU does it? Johnson praises the Serum Institute of India (SII). And he says the Indian government is not blocking the supply of vaccine. Q: Have they delayed it? No, says Johnson. He says there is a delay for practical reasons. This contradicts what the SII told the Telegraph earlier. See 12.08pm. Q: Doesn’t the vaccine supply test mean we will fail one of the tests for the roadmap for easing lockdown – the successful rollout of the vaccine? No, says Johnson. He says the government can still meet its targets.