Half of UK adults will be vaccinated by the end of the week, says minister
More than half of Britain’s adult population will have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine by the end of the week, as nation’s largest ever immunisation programme continues at pace, the business minister has said.
Kwasi Kwarteng told BBC Breakfast: “I think by the end of the week 50 per cent of the British adult population will have been vaccinated, and if people get the call I think they should take the jab.”
More than 24.8m people in the UK have received a Covid vaccine, including more than 1.6m people who have received both doses.
The government’s official target is to offer a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine to all adults in the UK by 31 July at the latest.
The vaccine rollout has recovered from a recent dip in recent weeks following supply hiccups, with more than 500,000 injections given out on a single day on Saturday.
A recent surge in supply means all remaining over-50s are set to be offered a Covid-19 vaccine in the coming days, with as many as 5m jabs likely to be given out this week — more than twice the rate seen in March so far.
The rollout is understood to be accelerating as the devolved nations begin to catch up with England’s rapid rollout. The previous record for a single week was around 3.1m.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “We are expecting that, taking first and second doses together, there will be around 400,000 vaccinations done over the course of this week.”
It means the government is likely to beat its target to offer a first dose of the vaccine to all over-50s by 15 April.
All top four priority groups have already received their first dose of a Covid jab, with vaccinations beginning to take effect in reducing coronavirus cases and hospitalisations.
Anthony Harnden, deputy chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said: “Most people over the age of 50 will be vaccinated really within the next few weeks — so it is tremendously successful.
“Those first nine priority groups included 99 per cent of all hospitalisations and deaths, certainly in wave one of the pandemic, so we’re feeling very optimistic. We’re seeing a very sharp reduction in the deaths and hospitalisations throughout the country.”