More than 6,000,000 people now fully vaccinated against Covid in UK
More than six million people across the UK have now been fully vaccinated against Covid.
Exactly 6,091,905 have been given their second doses in a major milestone for the country.
Meanwhile, nearly 32 million have had their first doses after another 99,530 first jabs were dished out on Wednesday.
A total of 408,396 second vaccines were also given yesterday – the second-highest daily figure to date.
People in England are counting down to April 12, when pub gardens, non-essential shops, gyms and hairdressers will reopen after months of harsh lockdown restrictions.
Some pubs are planning to welcome back punters desperate for a pint as soon as coronavirus restrictions lift at midnight on Monday.
Ministers U-turned today, saying drinkers could pay indoors in pubs ‘as a last resort’ after people were warned to take cash to beer gardens because of the bad signal outside.
It comes after UK regulators suggested giving under-30s the Pfizer or Moderna jab, rather than the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, following concerns over a potential link to rare blood clots.
The Oxford jab has been linked to 79 cases of blood clots and 19 deaths out of the 20 million people who have been given it across the UK.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said today the vaccine is ‘safe and effective’ for all ages and regulators had acted out of an ‘abundance of caution’.
He told Sky News: ‘All three vaccines that are in use in the UK are safe and they’re safe at all ages, but there’s a preference for the under-30s, if they want to have the Pfizer or Moderna jab, then they can.’
Meanwhile, a review by the European Medicines Agency’s safety committee concluded yesterday the vaccine is safe and effective, but unusual blood clots with low blood platelets should be listed as a ‘very rare side effect’.
New figures show another 53 people have died with coronavirus in the past 24 hours, while 3,030 new cases have been recorded.
The UK is set to achieve Covid-19 herd immunity within days with more than 70% of Brits protected against the virus, according to scientists.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.