London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 02, 2025

Covid: More than 10m people fully vaccinated in UK

Covid: More than 10m people fully vaccinated in UK

More than 10 million people in the UK have received a second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, according to the latest government figures.

It means more than 19% of UK adults are now fully vaccinated, while nearly 33 million people have had their first dose.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the news as a "remarkable milestone".

Also hailing the "terrific milestone", the health secretary urged people to get the jab "as soon as possible".

"Second doses are crucial to maximising the strength and duration of your protection from Covid-19," he added.

Sir Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, said: "The success of the NHS vaccination programme is not a happy accident. It is down to careful planning coupled with the sheer hard work and determination of doctors, nurses and countless other staff ably assisted by volunteers and many others."

It comes as the UK recorded four deaths within 28 days of a positive test - the lowest daily figure since 7 September, although the number of deaths recorded on Mondays and over the weekend tend to be lower because of reporting delays.

There were also 2,963 new cases, according to the latest government figures.

Mr Hancock told the Commons the government was "on track" to offer a first dose to all adults in the UK by the end of July and uptake had been "astonishingly high", at 94% for over-50s.

However, he said the vaccination rate for care home staff was currently below 80% in more than half of all local authority areas. As a result, he said, the government had launched a consultation into whether care home providers for older adults should only deploy workers who have received their Covid jab, unless they have a medical exemption.

People aged 45 and over are now being offered the vaccine in England and Scotland. In some areas of Wales 40-49 year-olds are being invited, while in Northern Ireland vaccine appointments are now being made available to a limited number of 35-39 year olds.

The rollout will continue to prioritise groups by age, according to advice from the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).


The 10 million mark for second doses is a great milestone.

But the rapid acceleration in second doses has come at a cost to first doses - and this spells trouble for the government's ambition to offer every adult in the UK a jab by the end of July.

Currently the UK is doing just over 100,000 first doses a day on average, that is down from 500,000 a month ago.

There was always going to be some drop-off. But on that trajectory just over half of under-50s will get a first dose by the end of July.

Take-up is predicted to be lower in the younger age groups than it has been in the older ones so that shortfall may not be as bad as it first looks.

What is more, there is the hope vaccine supplies will increase. More doses of Moderna may become available, while there is hope the Novavax jab, which is being made in the UK, could come into play in May.

Nonetheless, it is another reminder that the vaccine programme still has many hurdles to cross.


It comes after the government said all over-50s and those in high-risk groups in the UK had been offered a first dose.

Earlier this month the UK began to roll out the Moderna vaccine, alongside the Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech jabs.

All under-30s in the UK will be offered an alternative to the AstraZeneca jab due to evidence linking it to rare blood clots.


Meanwhile, Mr Hancock announced that India would be added to the travel red list from 04:00 BST on Friday. It means anybody who is not a UK or Irish resident or British citizen cannot enter the UK if they have been in India in the last 10 days and any other arrivals will need to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days.

Earlier, the prime minister cancelled a trip to India, which had been due to take place on 26 April, amid rising cases there.

Health officials in the UK are investigating whether a variant first found in India spreads more easily or is resistant to treatments or vaccines.

Mr Hancock said there had now been 103 cases of this variant detected in the UK, with the vast majority linked to international travel.

He said there had also been 557 cases of the variant first found in South Africa detected in the UK since December.

The health secretary said the government was "ramping up" plans for a booster shot to ensure vaccines stayed "ahead of the virus".

"We will be working with our current vaccine suppliers and new suppliers, like the CureVac partnership, to work out which vaccines will be effective as a booster shot and to design new vaccines specifically targeted at the variants of concern," he added.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
Russian Shadow Payments via Cryptocurrency Reach $9 Billion
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
×