UK hits 10 million first doses of coronavirus vaccine

LONDON — The U.K. has delivered a first dose of coronavirus vaccine to more than 10 million people, almost one fifth of the adult population, latest government data shows.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the vaccine rollout had been “the most colossal in the history of our National Health Service.” Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, he said almost 90 percent of over 75 year-olds in England had received their first jab.

In total, 10,021,471 people have received a first dose between December 8 and February 2, and 498,962 have received a second dose.

“With every jab and every day, we have more evidence about the effectiveness of these vaccines,” Johnson said, pointing to new research from Oxford University suggesting the AstraZeneca vaccine — one of the main jabs deployed by the U.K. — “seems likely to reduce transmission to others.” He said evidence was increasingly pointing to the fact that vaccines “reduce death and serious illness from those major strains of COVID that have been subject to research.”

The U.K. as a whole is on track to hit its target of vaccinating all people aged over 70, all those classed as clinically extremely vulnerable, all healthcare staff and all care home residents by the middle of this month. The vulnerable groups included in the first wave of vaccinations account for 88 percent of COVID deaths, the Department of Health and Social Care said.

England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said the impact of vaccinations on daily death figures would likely be seen within the next two to three weeks. He said that while the country was now past the peak of its winter wave of COVID infections, rates remained “incredibly high.” The U.K. has recorded 156,771 cases and 7,448 COVID deaths in the past seven days.

Despite the success so far of the vaccine rollout, Johnson said there would be no change to the timetable for the possible relaxation of lockdown measures in England, with all pupils still not set to return to schools until March 8. However, Johnson said a previously announced “roadmap” due in the week commencing February 22 would lay out “possibilities” for easing restrictions “for the whole of the year ahead.”