More than half of UK adults have now received two vaccine doses
More than half of all adults in the UK have now received two doses of the Covid vaccine as the rollout continues with pace.
The milestone follows yesterday’s news that more than three-quarters of adults have had their first jab.
“Over half of UK adults have now been fully vaccinated and have maximum protection against this awful virus, which is heart-warming news,” said vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi.
“Everyone who has received their second dose can breathe a huge sigh of relief knowing that they have ultimate protection from the virus and the new variants.”
Health services across the UK have now administered more than 66.1m jabs between 8 December and 2 June.
The government says it is on track to offer a first dose to all adults by the end of July.
“We know how important the second dose is to give protection, particularly against the Delta variant,” said health secretary Matt Hancock.
“Let’s roll up our sleeves and put this pandemic behind us, once and for all.”
‘India variant’ now dominant in UK
Public Health England (PHE) today confirmed the variant first found in India is now the dominant variant in the UK.
Cases of the India variant have risen by 5,472 since last week to 12,431.
According to PHE, early evidence suggests the there may be an increased risk of hospitalisation associated with the variant, although the health body said it needs more evidence to know for sure.
This week, 278 people with the variant attended A&E, resulting in 94 people being admitted to hospital overnight.
Last week, 201 people attended A&E, with 43 admissions. The majority of those had not been vaccinated.
Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, said: “With this variant now dominant across the UK, it remains vital that we all continue to exercise as much caution as possible.
“The way to tackle variants is to tackle the transmission of Covid-19 as a whole. Work from home where you can, and practice ‘hands, face, space, fresh air’ at all times.”