Three quarters of UK adults receive both vaccine doses
Three quarters of UK adults have now been double jabbed, with an estimated 60,000 deaths prevented due to the success of the rollout.
New data from Public Health England (PHE) shows COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against hospitalisation from the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant, the dominant strain of coronavirus in the UK.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 96% effective and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is 92% effective against hospitalisation after two doses. This means that around 60,000 deaths, 22 million infections and 66,900 hospitalisations have been prevented by the vaccines.
The news comes as the total number of doses administered across the UK reached 86,780,455, with 47,091,889 people receiving a first dose (89%) and 39,688,566 people receiving both (75%).
Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, expressed his delight at reaching the new milestone. He said: “Our incredible vaccine rollout has now provided vital protection against the virus to three quarters of all UK adults. This is a huge national achievement, which we should all be proud of.”
Sajid Javid, the Health and Social Care secretary praised the NHS for the success of the rollout and encouraged the public to get vaccinated ahead of upcoming rule changes.
He said: “Getting two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine is the key to enjoying a host of new freedoms safely – whether that be to enjoy a trip abroad with family or a night out with friends – as we continue to build our wall of protection.”
From August 16 people whThe government is working closely with the NHS to make it as easy as possible to get a vaccine, including through ‘grab a jab’ pop-up vaccine sites across the country.
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