BRITAIN'S vaccination programme continues to roll on at an unprecedented pace as new data reveals more than three in five adults in the United Kingdom have received a second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
With 75,188,795 million doses administered in total, 43,448,680 million people across the UK have now been vaccinated with a first dose (82.5 per cent), while 31,740,115 million people have had both doses (60.3 per cent).
Health secretary Matt Hancock said: “The vaccination team have been working incredibly hard to provide people with much-needed protection from this life-threatening disease.
“With more and more evidence emerging on just how effective two doses of our vaccines are in protecting against the Delta variant, it’s a great to see three in five adults have been double jabbed, so we’re well on our way to the whole country getting the fullest possible protection.
“We’re so close now to ensuring the entire adult population is protected – now everyone aged 18 and above can make an appointment, so make sure you book in for your first and second doses as soon as possible.”
With NHS England now having extended vaccine to everyone aged 18 and over, the government met its target of offering a shot to the most vulnerable by April 15 and is on track to offer a first dose to all adults by July 19, two weeks earlier than planned.
Recent analysis by Public Health England (PHE) shows that Covid-19 vaccines are highly effective against hospitalisation from the Delta (B.1.61.2) variant. The analysis suggests the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 96 per cent effective and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is 92 per cent effective against hospitalisation after both doses.
The government and its scientific experts are monitoring the evolving situation and rates of variants closely, and will not hesitate to take additional action as necessary.
Vaccines minister, Nadhim Zahawi said: “Two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine are absolutely vital in ensuring the fullest possible protection the jabs have to offer – it’s extraordinary that three in five people have now been vaccinated with both jabs.
“No matter where you live, where you come from, your background or your beliefs – provided you are over 18, there is a vaccine available to you. I urge everyone eligible to get their jab and help us get back to normality.”
Data from PHE’s real-world study shows the vaccines are already having a significant impact in the UK, reducing hospitalisations and deaths, saving over 14,000 lives and preventing over 42,000 hospitalisations in England.
John Denham
