Britain is vaccinating against COVID-19 as blows reach 200,000 a day – Hancock

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain is due to immunize its most vulnerable people against COVID-19 by mid-February and deliver a blow to every adult by autumn, with about 2 million people already receiving a first dose, the secretary said its for health Sunday.

“We’ve vaccinated more people in the last week than in December, so we’re accelerating the launch,” Matt Hancock told BBC TV.

The UK is battling growing infections, but is hoping for a quick immunization to allow life to return to normal by spring.

Hancock said about 2 million people have already received a first shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine or the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

“We’ve vaccinated about a third of all over 80s now, so we’re making very, very good progress,” he said.

For the government to meet its goal of vaccinating more than 14 million people by mid-February, over the age of 70, clinically vulnerable people – elderly or with pre-existing conditions – and health workers, and social assistance, must deliver 2 million photos per week.

The current rate is about 200,000 a day, Hancock said.

Seven mass vaccination centers will open this week, completing nearly 1,000 doctors operating surgeries and hospitals offering vaccines. Hancock said every adult will be given a vaccine by the fall.

Queen Elizabeth and her husband Philip, both in their nineties, received vaccinations, Buckingham Palace said on Saturday.

EMERGENCY CASES

A new highly transmissible variant of the virus is growing around Britain and Prime Minister Boris Johnson has imposed a third national blockade in England to try to stop the pandemic before the most vulnerable are immunized. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have imposed similar measures.

More than 80,000 people in the UK have died within 28 days of receiving a positive COVID-19 test, the fifth official death toll globally and more than 3 million people have tested positive.

England’s medical director Chris Whitty said on Sunday that the national health service in parts of the country was facing “the most difficult situation anyone could remember”.

Hancock did not rule out a tougher blockade, saying he would “not speculate” on further restrictions, although he added that the “vast majority” of people abide by the current rules.