UK ADMINISTERS VACCINES TO 15M PEOPLE AS PM HAILS ‘EXTRAORDINARY FEAT’

Mon 15 February 2021:

More than 15 million people in the UK have now had their first coronavirus vaccine, in what Boris Johnson described as a “significant milestone”.

“Today we have reached a significant milestone in the United Kingdom’s national vaccination programme. 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,” Johnson said in a video posted on Twitter.

“It has been a true national, UK-wide effort. We have done it together. And I want to thank each and every person who has helped make it happen. You can be incredibly proud of the part you have played,” he said, adding that the jab has been given to all those in the top four priority groups.

NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said the 15 million milestone was a “remarkable shared achievement” – reached 10 weeks after the first vaccine was administered in the UK.

“The NHS vaccination programme is the biggest and fastest in Europe – and in the health service’s history – and that is down to the skill, care, and downright hard work of our fantastic staff, supported by local communities, volunteers and the armed forces,” he said.

However, it is unclear whether the announcement marks the completion of the target across the UK or only in England.

The distribution of vaccines in the UK is a devolved matter which means that each of the four nations have independently devised their own vaccination programs.

On Sunday, 10,972 more people contracted the virus, a weekly fall of 28.1%.

Also, 258 more deaths were reported, another weekly drop of 25.5%.

The latest R range for the UK stands at 0.7-0.9, with the current growth rate at -5% to -2% per day. The R number is a mechanism used to rate the virus’s ability to spread, with R being the number of people that one infected person will pass the virus on to.

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