More than 15 million people have now received at least one dose of the Covid-19 jab under the NHS’s vaccination programme, hitting the Government’s target a day earlier than planned.
The Prime Minister had pledged to offer a coronavirus vaccine to all over-70s and the extremely clinically vulnerable by the end of today.
Attention has now turned to ramping up the number of inoculations among the over-65s with around 1.2 million letters having already been sent to 65 to 69 year-olds and the clinically vulnerable in England, inviting them to book an appointment, with the aim of immunising all over-50s by the end of April.
NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens thanked the staff on the frontline, adding that hitting the target just 10 weeks after the first vaccine was administered was a “remarkable shared achievement”.
“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.
