A record number of people received their Covid-19 vaccine on Friday, with 711,156 doses given to the UK public.

Of those, 636,219 were given in England – the highest daily amount since the NHS vaccination programme began, NHS England said.

More than half of the UK’s adult population – some 26,853,407 people aged 18 and over – have now received their first jab, Government data up to March 19 suggests.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock hailed the milestone as a “phenomenal achievement”.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it remains “on track” to offer the vaccine to all over-50s by April 15.

It comes as countries across Europe have had to impose tougher restrictions amid a rise in Covid-19 cases, with UK scientists warning overseas holidays this summer will be “extremely unlikely”.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was among those to receive his first dose on Friday when he was given the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine at St Thomas’ Hospital in central London.
Friday’s record daily total includes both first and second doses across the UK.

Mr Hancock said: “Vaccinating over half of all adults is a phenomenal achievement and is testament to the mammoth efforts of the NHS, GPs, volunteers, local authorities and civil servants in every corner of the UK.

“During April, we will continue to vaccinate those most at risk and around 12 million people will receive their second doses as well.

“It is absolutely crucial people come forward as soon as they are eligible. When you get the call, get the jab, because the more people who are vaccinated the safer we will all be.”

Some 2,132,551 people in the UK – around 4% of all adults – have been given their second dose of the vaccine, while almost 95% of people aged 60 and over have received their first jab, the DHSC said.



This content first appear on the guardian

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *