Significant milestone reached as almost 1 in 5 adults in the UK get the vaccine.
More than ten million people in the UK have now received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, marking a significant milestone for the largest vaccination programme in British history.
Figures out today show the NHS vaccinated a total of 10,021,471 million people between 8 December 2020 and 2 February 2021, including 9 in 10 people aged 75 and over in England.
This is equivalent to vaccinating the total capacity of 111 Wembley stadiums in just eight weeks and is an important step towards hitting the Government’s target of offering vaccines to the top four priority groups by the middle of February.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “This terrific achievement is testament to the monumental effort of NHS workers, volunteers and the armed forces who have been working tirelessly in every corner of the UK to deliver the largest vaccination programme in our history. Every jab makes us all a bit safer – I want to thank everyone for playing their part.
“Vaccines are the way out of this pandemic. The unprecedented national effort we have seen right across the United Kingdom means the majority of our most vulnerable people are now inoculated against this awful disease.”
Vaccines have now been offered to all elderly care home residents and staff in England, with staff now returning to homes where residents may have been unable to get a vaccine due to medical conditions, or because of a local outbreak.
A study published in the Lancet today provided further good news showing the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine provides a sustained protection of 76% during the 12-week interval between the first and second dose. It is also the first study to show the vaccine may substantially reduce transmission, suggesting those who have already been immunised with this vaccine cannot infect others.
Everyone still has a vital part to play in the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines and the government has called on people to continue:
- Helping out: helping those eligible for the vaccine by supporting friends, family and loved ones with their appointments, as well as volunteering to help those in the community.
- Joining up: signing up to clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines, as well as treatments.
- Staying informed: keeping up to date with accurate and trusted NHS advice and make sure to share the facts with friends and family.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “There are many people and groups responsible for the UK’s vaccination programme, and we owe our thanks to our brilliant scientists, to Kate Bingham and the Vaccine Task Force which has procured over 400 million doses of seven different types of vaccine, to the manufacturers and the delivery drivers, the pharmacists, the military medics, countless volunteers.
“But to get this life-saving medicine into the arms of the nation at the kind of speed that we’re seeing, we are relying on the doctors, nurses and all the staff of our NHS.
“It is thanks to their effort – the most colossal in the history of our National Health Service – that we have today passed the milestone of 10 million vaccinations in the United Kingdom, including almost 90% of those aged 75 and over in England and every eligible person in a care home.”
Through the Government’s Vaccines Taskforce, the UK has now secured early access to 407 million doses of seven of the most promising vaccine candidates, including:
BioNTech/Pfizer for 40 million doses
Oxford/AstraZeneca for 100 million doses
Moderna for 17 million doses
GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi Pasteur for 60 million doses
Novavax for 60 million doses
Janssen for 30 million doses
Valneva for 100 million doses
The daily vaccination statistics are published daily on the COVID-19 dashboard here.
Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street licensed under a Creative Commons 2.0 Generic License.
