The number of second doses given out on Wednesday was over 400,000
More than 6,000,000 people in the UK have now received both doses of Covid-19 vaccine and are now fully fully vaccinated against the virus. It is after 408,396 second jabs were administered on Wednesday, just the second time that the number had exceeded 400,000. A further 99,530 first jabs were given on Wednesday.
It brings the total number of people who are now fully vaccinated to 6,091,905, with this group having the maximum protection possible against the virus. The total number of people who have now received at least one dose of vaccine now stands at 31,807,124.
The good news comes ahead of the next stage of lockdown restrictions easing, with non-essential retail and outdoor hospitality opening up on April 12. It also comes on the day that Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that the country has plenty of Pfizer and Moderna vaccine to continue its rollout despite the news that under-30s will no longer be given the AstraZeneca jab.
However there are warnings that the vaccine rollout will slow down over the coming weeks as the focus shifts towards administering second doses as opposed to giving first doses to those age groups lower down the priority list. Whilst we’re seeing record number of second doses given, Tuesday saw only 40,744 first doses given, the lowest daily figure since early January.
The government have reaffirmed their belief though that they will meet the target of every adult in the UK being offered a first jab before the end of July.
