15,062,189
PM HAILS ‘A TRULY NATIONAL EFFORT’ TO CONQUER COVID
IT’S the shot in the arm we needed – 15million of Britain’s most vulnerable people have now been vaccinated against Covid-19, beating the government’s target with two days to spare.
Prime minister Boris Johnson hailed ‘a truly national effort’ that means everyone over 70 has now been offered a first dose – just 68 days after 91-yearold Margaret Keenan had the first jab.
And as a mobile bus and converted ‘vaxi taxi’ joined the push to vaccinate everyone over 50 by the end of April, he praised the ‘extraordinary feat’.
He said: ‘Those vaccines have been delivered in our NHS hospitals, in GP surgeries, in high street pharmacies, in cathedrals, churches, mosques and temples, in community centres and in living rooms in cities, towns and villages.
‘They have been delivered by the most extraordinary army of vaccinators who jabbed like there’s no tomorrow – doctors and nurses, retired health workers who returned to the fray – supported by organisers, volunteers, marshals, guided by the leadership of the NHS and supported by the great strategic, logistical nous of the British Army.’
The PM – under pressure to announce plans next week for easing lockdown – added: ‘We’ve still got a long way to go.
‘There will undoubtedly be bumps on the road but, after all we’ve achieved, I know we can go forward with great confidence. Of course, no one is resting
on their laurels. In fact the first million or so letters offering appointments to over65s are already landing on doorsteps.’
The milestone came as 10,972 new cases were reported yesterday – down from the peak of 82,000 on December 29.
Deaths recorded with Covid-19 also fell from 373 a week before to 258.
Data suggests vaccines have reached groups making up 88 per cent of deaths and 55 per cent of hospital admissions.
And it reveals plunging infection rates in those jabbed first.
Prof Tim Spector, whose Zoe Covid Symptom Study tracks 330,000 people, said: ‘We’re showing a 67 per cent protection after three weeks and 46 per cent after two weeks. There’s a lot of reason to be optimistic that we’ll be in a much better place in two to four weeks’ time and can start to reduce some restrictions.’
New quarantine rules for overseas arrivals begin today. And on February 22 the PM is due to reveal a road map out of lockdown, with schools likely to start reopening from March 8.
Prof Spector said he would be happy for some students to return earlier, particularly young children who pose ‘very little risk to themselves or others’. But ministers resisted growing pressure from Tory backbenchers to set firm dates to reopen schools, shops and pubs.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said: ‘We are not making an arbitrary commitment without reviewing the impact that measures have had on the transmission and the hospital admissions of the virus.’
While 15,062,189 people have now had their first dose, just over 500,000 have had their second.
Pfizer has warned supplies of their vaccine to the UK are likely to dip in the next two weeks as they reconfigure their manufacturing plant in Puurs, Belgium.
And the number receiving their first dose could reduce because of the need to offer a second within 12 weeks. But the
UK has 450million vaccine doses from eight manufacturers on order thanks to deals struck by the vaccines task force under Kate Bingham, who heads the unit without taking a salary.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said reaching 90 per cent of over-70s was a ‘much higher take-up than we could have possibly hoped for’ but urged the rest to come forward.
The rollout now turns to 3.4million over-65s, then 2.2million 60- to 64-yearolds with underlying health conditions.
Last night, it emerged care workers would also be offered a first jab. Charity Carers UK said it would bring many unpaid workers ‘a huge sense of relief’.
Over-50s will be the last of the top nine priority groups – accounting for 99 per cent of all Covid deaths – to be jabbed.
A ‘vaxi taxi’ offered jabs to people at Sunday worship in Holland Park, west London, yesterday and an NHS vaccination bus parked up outside Greenwich university in south-east London.
NHS chief Sir Simon Stevens hailed the ‘extraordinary team effort’, adding: ‘Hitting this milestone just ten weeks after the NHS made history by delivering the first Covid vaccination outside a trial is a remarkable shared achievement.’
He said the programme was ‘the biggest and fastest in Europe and in the health service’s history. That is down to the skill, care and downright hard work of our fantastic staff, supported by communities, volunteers and the armed forces.’
Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth called those involved ‘true heroes’ but demanded the government ‘lock in the gains’.
He called for ‘measures to further reduce the spread of Covid including decent financial self-isolation support, updated mask-wearing guidance and help for workplaces to be Covid secure.’