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People over 25 in England will be offered a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine six months after the UK’s first vaccine was given – as ministers continue to question whether remaining lockdown restrictions will be lifted June 21st.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced that people aged 25 to 29 in England – around three million people – will be asked to book their vaccines from Tuesday as the NHS hailed having hit the “straight line” of the largest immunization program in its history.
Exactly six months ago, on December 8, 2020, Grandmother Margaret Keenan, 91, became the first patient in the world to receive a Covid-19 vaccine outside of a clinical trial when she received the vaccine Pfizer / BioNTech in Coventry.
Mr Hancock also told MPs on Monday it was too early to say whether England’s remaining coronavirus restrictions will be lifted on June 21, as case rates have risen in more parts of the UK than no time since early January.
Reports have suggested the final stage of the government’s roadmap could be delayed by two weeks, with The Times saying ministers were given a “depressed” briefing on the latest data on Monday by Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty and the adviser. chief scientist Sir Patrick Vallance.
Mr Hancock said a decision to move to Stage 4 will be delayed as long as possible, with a final announcement due next Monday – a week before any changes can take effect.
Downing Street said there was “nothing in the data” to suggest a delay would be necessary.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding June 21, the health secretary said he was convinced “one day soon freedom will return” with the latest data suggesting that the vaccines are protecting people against the Delta variant first identified. times in India.
And as the vaccination program entered its final stages – with the under-30s the last cohort on the priority vaccine list – the NHS described the six-month anniversary as a “watershed moment.”
NHS England National Medical Director Stephen Powis said: ‘It is remarkable to think that just six months after that first hit in Coventry in December – Maggie Keenan got it, remember – we have now vaccinated all three quarters of the adult population with their first dose and more than half with their second dose.
“It really is a tremendous achievement and of course the immunization program is our way out of this pandemic so it is crucial that when you get the invitation for your jab come and get it. “
As of June 6, England had delivered 23,710,646 second doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, meaning that the equivalent of 53.6% of its adult population is fully vaccinated, with 76.4% of adults having received a vaccine.
In Wales, the equivalent of 49.5% of its adult population is fully vaccinated, with 86.5% of adults having received a first vaccine, while in Scotland 50.8% of adults are fully vaccinated and 76.4% of adults received a first dose.
The equivalent of 48.9% of the adult population of Northern Ireland is fully vaccinated, while a first dose has been given to 75.1% of adults.
All adults have already been called in for vaccinations in Northern Ireland and most of Wales, while people aged 18-29 in Scotland have been urged to sign up for their vaccine, with appointments you starting in mid-June.
Hancock said the Delta variant “made the race between the virus and this vaccination effort tighter,” but the vaccine broke the previously “strong” link between infections and hospital admissions.
The variant is believed to be 40% more transmissible than the Alpha variant first seen in Kent which swept across the UK during the winter peak.
As of June 3, out of 12,383 cases of the Delta variant, 464 have presented to the emergency room and 126 people have been admitted to hospital.
Of those admitted, 83 were not vaccinated, 28 had received one dose and three had received both doses of the vaccine, Mr Hancock said.
The spread of the Delta variant has seen cases increase in almost all parts of North West England, London and Scotland.
The rise in rates has yet to be matched by a steady increase in hospitalization cases. The latest data shows the numbers have risen slightly, with the seven-day average for inpatients reaching 912 on June 3 – the highest since May 26.
Almost three-quarters of UK local regions (283 out of 380) saw a week-over-week increase in rates of Covid-19 cases in the seven days leading up to June 2, the highest proportion since January 6.
Downing Street said data that emerges over the coming week will be “crucial” in deciding whether legal restrictions on coronaviruses in England can end as hoped for on June 21.
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