England has entered the next phase of Coronavirus vaccine rollout after (U.K.) successfully inoculating 15 million people.
England has entered the next phase of Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine rollout after United Kingdom (U.K.) successfully completed vaccinating 15 million people.
The first jab was given on December 8, 2020. In less than two and a half months, all the top 4 priority groups in U.K. have been covered. The people covered under the first phase included all elderly care home residents along with their care takers, everyone above 70 years of age, all frontline health and social care workers and all those who were extremely vulnerable to the virus.
Taking it to twitter, the Prime Minister of U.K. – Boris Johnson tweeted,
Today we have reached a significant milestone in the United Kingdom’s national vaccination programme.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 14, 2021
This country has achieved an extraordinary feat – administering a total of 15 million jabs into the arms of some of the most vulnerable people in the country. pic.twitter.com/wPKCXPT8Td
Thanking the people involved, Johnson tweeted,
We have vaccinated over 15 million people. This is an incredible UK-wide achievement.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 14, 2021
Thank you to the scientists, factory workers, delivery drivers, NHS staff, volunteers and many more who made this astounding feat possible. pic.twitter.com/YOCFAywROA
The next phase will cover people aged above 65 years and under 69 years. It will also cover younger people in at-risk groups. This phase is expected to be complete by April 2021.
Announcing the next phase, Johnson tweeted,
Today we start the next phase of our vaccination programme, with people aged 65-69 and the clinically vulnerable now being offered the jab.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 15, 2021
If you are over 70 and haven't had your first jab yet, speak to your GP, book a slot online, or call 119.https://t.co/HFdDcrX3l4
More than 7.3 million people aged between 16 to 65 with a range of health conditions that put them at risk, will be vaccinated. It includes people with chronic heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, diabetes, severe lung conditions, severe learning disabilities and mental health conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Adult carers of disabled people with these conditions, and younger adults in care homes, are also part of this group.
As per the Department of Health, 88% of the U.K.’s COVID-19 casualties occurred in the priority groups who have now been offered the vaccine.
At the same time, the second jab of frontline workers who were vaccinated in first phase would also bee due. The U.K. would be under a lot of pressure to provide second jab to already vaccinated people and to provide first jab to a new set of people. This means U.K. would require uninterrupted supply of vaccine and huge force to vaccinate such a large number of people. It is already witnessing problems in getting Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine due to issues at manufacturing plant in Belgium. As far as the AstraZeneca and Oxford University’s vaccine is concerned, it is on schedule and Moderna’s vaccines supplies are expected by April 2021.
Also, the Secretary of State for Health & Social Care – Matt Hancock said easing of lockdown is still far away. He said there are still over 23,000 people in hospital with COVID-19. Johnson is due to set out road map for easing out the lockdown on February 22, 2021.
