Britain has now vaccinated over 33 million people, including more than 479,000 people across Surrey Heartlands. Over half of all adults have received their first dose, and I would urge all those over 50 who have yet to take up the offer of a vaccine to book a slot now at nhs.uk/covid-vaccination or by calling 119.
I’m pleased to confirm the Government is on track to offer a vaccine to all those over 50 by 15 April, every adult by the end of July and give around 12 million people their second dose next month. Those waiting for second doses will be contacted directly by the teams who delivered their first dose and all second dose appointments will go ahead as planned. GP-led vaccination services are also continuing to contact patients who have not yet received their vaccination to offer them an appointment.
The latest data clearly shows that both the Oxford and Pfizer vaccines reduce the likelihood of serious illness by 60 per cent after the first dose. Protection against hospitalisation is around 80 per cent after one dose and protection against death is around 85 per cent. The data also shows that if you live with someone who’s been vaccinated, you have a 30 per cent lower risk of catching the virus yourself.
The Government has secured early access to 457 million doses of 8 of the world’s most promising vaccines so far. To date, we have invested over £300 million into manufacturing a successful vaccine, with facilities across Britain working at pace to supply the biggest vaccination programme in our history.
As the biggest donor of the global vaccine alliance, CoVax, Britain has also been leading from the front on access to vaccines by committing £548 million in British aid to help distribute 1.3 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines to 92 developing countries this year. So far, over 32 million vaccines have been shipped to 60 participants.
If you have any questions about the roll-out, there is a dedicated vaccination email and phone service you can contact: [email protected] / 0300 561 2500 – lines are open from 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday only. As ever, if you need my help, please email me at [email protected] or leave me a message on 020 7219 5972.
