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The UK has reported a record daily rise in the number of people vaccinated against coronavirus, after data showed nearly 600,000 more people had received their first dose.
More than 8,977,300 people have received their first dose of a Covid-19 jab and 491,000 have had the second since the vaccination drive began, according to government figures.
On Sunday, the number of people who have received their first dose rose by 598,389 – the first time more than half a million first doses had been reported on a single day since the publication of daily vaccination figures.
Meanwhile, data showed 10,621 more people had received their second dose.
The total of 609,010 receiving either a first or second dose was also record rise.
The figures were for vaccinations reported on Saturday.
Dr Susan Hopkins, the Covid-19 strategic response director at Public Health England (PHE), said on Sunday experts expect to see an impact of the coronavirus vaccine on the over-80s over the next two weeks.
Asked if there was evidence the vaccination programme was beginning to reduce infections, she told BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show: “We are seeing declines in all age groups at the moment.”
“We’re starting to see declines in the over-70s and over-80s. It’s a bit early to say whether those declines are directly related to the vaccine.”
Dr Hopkins also said lockdown measures must be eased slowly so “we can clamp down quite fast” if an increase of cases is seen.
Her comments came as preliminary research from government scientific advisers suggested a “huge surge in deaths” will only be avoided as restrictions are relaxed if vaccines have a high uptake and are highly effective at blocking infection and therefore transmission – rather than just reduce the severity of disease.
England’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam has said vaccines’ impact on transmission is not yet understood, with Public Health England working to ascertain vaccines’ effect on infection.
He argued the jabs with high levels of effectiveness in trials “really couldn’t fail to have some effect on transmission”, telling a Downing Street press conference the question is really “to what extent” rather they whether they do or not.
Additional reporting by Press Association
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