More than 10m people in UK now fully vaccinated

More than 10 million people in the UK have now received their second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, according to government figures.

The milestone means that more than 19% of all adults in the country have received both jabs, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said.

Official data shows that so far, second doses have been administered to 757,115 people in Scotland and 8,518,498 in England.

In Wales, 602,807 people have received their second jab, and in Northern Ireland, 273,619.

This brings the total number of people receiving second doses across the UK to 10,152,039.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “Vaccines offer us the best possible protection from the virus, so it is fantastic that 10 million people have now received their second dose.

“This is another remarkable milestone in our vaccination programme, which has already saved thousands of lives.

“I want to thank the brilliant staff and volunteers involved in the rollout, and urge all those who are called to keep coming forward.”

DHSC said that health services across the UK administered a total of 43,084,487 million vaccines between December 8 and April 18, including 32,932,448 people receiving their first dose.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock hailed the “terrific” second dose milestone which he said meant “over 10 million people who are the most vulnerable to Covid in the UK now have double protection from this awful virus”.

Sir Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive, also praised the “major achievement” for the health service’s vaccination programme.

“Since England’s NHS became the first health service anywhere in the world to administer a Covid-19 vaccine, the programme has gone from strength to strength, with everyone in the top priority groups given the opportunity to get jabbed ahead of target,” he added.

“The success of the NHS vaccination programme is not a happy accident. It is down to careful planning coupled with the sheer hard work and determination of doctors, nurses and countless other staff ably assisted by volunteers and others.”

There are three vaccines approved for use in the UK, those developed by Pfizer, Astrazeneca and Moderna, Regulators here have recommended as a precautionary measure people aged 18 to 29 should be offered alternatives to the Astrazeneca vaccine, saying there is a possible link between the jab and “extremely rare” blood clots.