London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 26, 2025

Covid: Vaccine uptake among over-50s hits 95% in England

Covid: Vaccine uptake among over-50s hits 95% in England

The percentage of over-50s vaccinated has hit 95% in England, NHS data shows.

The take-up among those aged 45-49 is at 59% after they started being offered the jab earlier this month.

But uptake among care home staff - one of the first groups to be offered the jab - is still around 80% despite attempts to get more to come forward.

It comes as figures show that coronavirus was not the leading cause of death in England and Wales in March, for the first time since October.

Covid had been the leading cause of death every month between November and February, according to Office for National Statistics data.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was "delighted" 95% of over-50s in England had been vaccinated.

He tweeted that the government was on track to offer the vaccine to all adults by the end of July and added that it was "safe and effective".

Meanwhile, the last scheduled flight from India to the UK has landed ahead of new coronavirus curbs being placed on arrivals from the country.

Public Health England (PHE) confirmed on Thursday that a further 55 cases of the virus variant first identified in India were found in the UK in the week to 14 April.

A further 18 people in the UK have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid, bringing the total by that measure to 127,345.

There have also been a further 2,729 lab-confirmed cases of the virus in the UK.


The latest vaccination figures show more than 33 million people in the UK have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine with more than 10 million having received both doses.

Government data shows that a further 117,909 first doses were given on Wednesday as well as 416,784 second shots.

But despite efforts to increase uptake among care home workers NHS England said 80.4% of eligible staff working at older adult care homes had received the jab by 18 April.

While 72.3% of staff working in independent Care Quality Commission-registered younger adult care homes and domiciliary care providers have received their first dose.

Ministers have launched a consultation on whether care home workers should be required to receive a Covid vaccine, with Mr Hancock saying it was "something many care homes have called for".

On Thursday, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said there had been 168 cases up to 14 April of rare blood clots in the UK in people who had had the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine - resulting in 32 deaths.

With an estimated 21.2 million AstraZeneca jabs given across the UK by that date, the overall case incidence is 7.9 per million doses, the MHRA added.

People aged under 30 are to be offered an alternative vaccine to AstraZeneca, but the medicines regulator said the benefits of the vaccine still outweigh the risks for the vast majority of people.

The latest vaccination figures were released after Margaret Keenan - the first person to be vaccinated in the UK - praised the "incredible" rollout of the jabs.

The 91-year-old was given the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in early December at at University Hospital in Coventry in December.

In an online chat with NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens, Mrs Keenan, originally from Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, urged anyone who has not yet been vaccinated to come forward.

"There's nothing to it, you don't feel anything" she said.

Ms Keenan praised staff who have helped with the rollout of the vaccines: "They're incredible, I cannot find words to say. They're incredible with what they've done."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×