UK hits Covid vaccine milestone as 75% of adults receive first dose

The UK hit an important vaccine milestone on Wednesday as three-quarters of all adults have now had a first dose of a Covid-19 jab.

A total of 39,585,665 first doses have now been delivered since the vaccination roll-out began almost six months ago. This is the equivalent of 75.2 per cent of all people aged 18 and over.

The rate is even higher in Wales where 2,152,709 first doses have been given, the equivalent of 85.3 per cent of the adult population.

This is well ahead of the other three nations of the UK, with England now on 74.7 per cent (33,085,145 first doses), Scotland on 74.1 per cent (3,286,261 first doses) and Northern Ireland on 73.1 per cent (1,061,550 first doses).

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, described the latest vaccination figures, published by the UK’s four health agencies today, as an “incredible achievement”.

He added: “We know vaccines are breaking the chain between infection rates, hospital admissions and death. But we also know two doses are better than one, particularly in our fight against the Delta (Indian) variant.

“So while there’s a lot to celebrate, we’ve still got a way to go before people have had both jabs. We also know it takes three weeks for doses to be fully effective.

“We urge everyone to get their jabs when they’re offered them.”

One dose of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine is only 33 per cent effective against the Indian variant, a study from Public Health England has shown. This rises to 88 per cent after two doses of the Pfizer jab, and 60 per cent after the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi tweeted: “Another important milestone met. 75% of all adults in the U.K. have now been protected with one dose. When you get the txt get the jab!”

It comes after the UK announced zero Covid deaths on Tuesday for first time since March last year.

Despite positive news on the vaccine roll-out and low death rate, there is increasing concern from experts about easing restrictions on 21 June in England due to cases of the new variant first identified in India.

Pat Cullen, acting general secretary and chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, urged ministers to watch the data, adding: “As the NHS starts the road to recovery now is the time to take cautious steps and not take an unchecked leap to freedom.”

However, Robert Dingwall, professor of sociology at Nottingham Trent University, said it was important to press ahead with the 21 June easing from a societal point of view.

He told Times Radio: “I personally don’t see any case for delay ... from a societal point of view, I think it’s really important that we go ahead on June 21 and I’ve not really seen anything in the data that would lead me to doubt that as a proposition on the evidence to date.”

Downing Street has said that Boris Johnson still sees nothing in the data to suggest the plan to end all legal lockdown restrictions in England on 21 June will need to be delayed.