Covid UK: 13.2m – a QUARTER of all adults – now fully vaccinated

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A quarter of British adults are now fully vaccinated as the country passed the 13.2million mark for second doses today.

Department of Health data released this afternoon shows 33.8million have now had a first dose, taking the UK’s total number of jabs administered up to 47million.

Health chiefs have praised the significant step and called for more people to take up the offer of the vaccine to ensure  

Matt Hancock said: ‘This latest milestone is a terrific cause for celebration – over a quarter of all adults across the UK, including those most vulnerable to Covid, have now had two jabs, meaning they have received the strongest possible protection.

‘Thank you to the brilliant NHS, volunteers, local authorities, armed forces and civil servants who continue to work tirelessly to vaccinate people as quickly as possible.

‘There is undeniable evidence that vaccines are saving lives, significantly reducing hospitalisations and deaths. 

‘I urge all those who are offered an appointment to get their jab and join the millions of people who now have protection from this terrible disease.’

The milestone comes as NHS England lowered the age for people to get a coronavirus vaccine for the second time this week. 

From today, everyone over the age of 42 — or who have their 42nd birthday before July — will be invited to come forward for their jab. 

Mr Hancock, 42, revealed the expansion in a video posted on Twitter, adding that he was ‘very excited’ to come forward for a vaccine himself.  

The Health Secretary said the rollout was going ‘extraordinarily well’ and uptake was ‘astonishingly high’ — more than nine in 10 Brits invited for a jab so far have turned up.

All 1.3million people aged 42 and 43 will invited via text from ‘NHSvaccine’, which includes a web link to the health service’s online booking service. Those who can’t access the internet can call 119 instead to get an appointment at one of 1,600 sites administering the vaccines across England.

It comes after the age limit in England was dropped to 44 yesterday. 

Two-thirds of 45 to 49-year-olds have already received their first dose, despite the programme only opening to them a fortnight ago. The scheme is expected to widen even further to people in their 30s next week. 

NHS medical director Professor Stephen Powis said yesterday it was a ‘testament to the hard work of NHS staff’ that the programme had moved so quickly.

Latest vaccination figures show 33.7million Brits have been given at least one dose, with almost 12.9m fully immunised against the disease.

But the number of first doses being administered each day has fallen from a peak of 750,000 to just 80,000 yesterday after dips in supply meant officials had to focus on meeting second dose targets. Around 260,000 top-ups were dished out yesterday.

Mr Hancock said: ‘We’re excited to be able to tell you that today we are opening vaccination up to people aged 43 and 42, which includes me.

‘So I’m really looking forward to getting my text.

‘Yesterday we opened up to people aged 44. That’s gone very, very well. Thank your to the hundreds of thousands who have come forward and booked your appointment.

‘And now we’re able to go that little bit further. This vaccination roll-out is going incredibly well. The uptake is astonishingly high. So when you get your text, please come forward and get your jab.’

Professor Powis added: ‘Just two weeks after rolling out the vaccine to those aged 45 and over, we are now ready to invite those aged 42 and 43, as the largest vaccination programme in NHS history continues at speed.

‘The rapid rollout of the NHS vaccination programme, the swiftest in Europe, hasn’t happened by accident.

‘It is down to months of careful planning and sheer hard work by nurses, doctors and countless other staff supported by our volunteers.

‘If you receive a text inviting you to book in for your jab, please follow the instructions provided – it is simple, effective and provides vital protection against the coronavirus.’

The expansion of the rollout coincidences with a new Government advertising blitz aimed at boosting vaccine uptake in younger Britons.

It included a primetime TV advert that aired during the ad-break on ITV’s Emmerdale last night. 

The ‘every vaccination gives us hope’ campaign is also running across social media and on billboards.

Experts are concerned that younger people will have lower jab uptake than elderly groups because they don’t face a high risk of death from Covid, and they may be more likely to have seen anti-vaxx theories online or be worried about side effects.

NHS data show that only 644 out of the 86,868 people in England to have died of Covid so far have been under the age of 40 – just 0.7 per cent. 

Most people admitted to hospital with the disease are in middle age, now that vaccines are protecting large proportions of elderly people. 

Public Health England data last week showed that people in their 30s had the highest infection rate among adults at 34 positive cases per 100,000 people.

This was followed by 20 to 29-year-olds, with 32 per 100,000. Teenagers had the highest positive test rate (42) but not all of them are not yet able to get vaccines, so experts say younger adults must get jabs to reduce the impact of those outbreaks.

Studies have suggested that the vaccines will prevent transmission as well as severe disease, meaning it is vital for everyone to get a jab.

Oxford University research last week found that among those who had been given at least one dose of either the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine there was a 74 per cent drop in symptomatic infections.

Crucially, the jabs also cut asymptomatic cases – where the person infected has no signs of illness – by more than 50 per cent. This is critical to stopping people unwittingly spreading Covid.  

Cambridge University epidemiologist Dr Raghib Ali told MailOnline younger people might not see as big a personal benefit to vaccination as older generations.

Dr Ali said: ‘We are going to face an issue, particularly in young people who perceive the threat of Covid to be less.

‘I’d say to these people, if you want to avoid another lockdown then vaccination is the best way to do it. Young people suffer from lockdowns most, with their mental and economic health. Vaccination is the only way to do it.

‘There’s a degree of altruism versus personal benefit as you go down the age groups, particularly as you get below 30.’

He added: ‘The surveys I’ve seen suggest uptake is going to be about 85 per cent, which isn’t as high as the current rate but no-one thought we’d get 95 per cent uptake before.’

Dr Ali suggests a tricky element of young people getting vaccinated is that for many of them it is selfless and intended to protect other people rather than themselves.

Vaccine hesitancy in Britain is highest among 16 to 29-year-olds, according to recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

An ONS survey carried out in February and March found some 12% of people in this age group said they had declined the vaccine, were unlikely to have the jab if offered or did not know if they would have a vaccination.

This is the equivalent of around 1.2 million people, based on the weighted population figures used in the ONS survey.

Hesitancy was nine per cent among those aged 30 to 49 – the equivalent of 1.6 million people.