LONDON (Reuters) – More than 20 million people in the UK have now received the first COVID-19 vaccine, data showed on Sunday as the country made further progress on the fastest vaccination program in Europe.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that this stage was “a huge national achievement and showed health, workers, volunteers and the country’s armed forces.
“I urge everyone to receive the jab when called,” Johnson said. “Every jab makes a difference in our fight against COVID.”
The UK suffered the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in Europe – currently at 122,849 – and the strongest economic shock among large rich countries, according to the main measures in official data.
But the pace of its vaccination launch has raised the prospect of a gradual lifting of its current blocking restrictions from now until the end of June.
On Sunday, Finance Minister Rishi Sunak promised to help the economy while the country remains under restrictions.
In a budget statement on Wednesday, it expects to announce more loans in addition to nearly 300 billion pounds ($ 418 billion) of COVID-19 spending and tax cuts.
Official data showed that a total of 20.09 million people in the UK received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and almost 800,000 received the second dose.
Last week, Britain said more than one in three adults had received their first vaccination.
The UK also reported another 6,035 cases in the last 24 hours and another 144 deaths within 28 days of a positive test on Sunday.
The latest figures show that cases in the last seven days have fallen by 21.2% compared to the previous seven-day period from 15 to 21 February, and deaths have fallen by 33.5%.
Written by William Schomberg; Editing by Jane Merriman and Susan Fenton