London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 10, 2025

Nearly 80% of over-80s have received first Covid jab dose

Nearly 80% of over-80s have received first Covid jab dose

Nearly four in five of all over-80s in the UK have now received a coronavirus jab, the Health Secretary has said.
Matt Hancock told a Downing Street press conference that 6.6 million people overall — one in nine of the UK adult population — had been given the first dose of the vaccine, including 78.7 per cent of those 80 or older.

He said the vaccine roll-out was “on track” to give jabs to 15 million of the most vulnerable people — including the over-80s — by February 15, but warned that supply was currently “tight”.

And he reiterated the importance of following lockdown measures despite the promising figures. “Even if you have had the jab, the rules still apply,” he said.

“We’re making progress with the vaccine, the end is in sight, an we cannot put that progress at risk.”

It came after the UK recorded 592 more coronavirus deaths on Monday. It brings the overall death toll to around 98,531, although figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies show there have now been 115,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.

There were 22,195 new cases reported, the lowest figure since December 15.

In his opening remarks at Downing Street Mr Hancock also attempted to make the case for the union, amid concerns over increasing support for Scottish independence.

He said that the Scottish Ambulance Service put out an appeal for extra help over the weekend and other nations “stepped forward”.
“

Our health systems across the UK routinely work closely together offering support when it’s needed and from vaccines to ambulance services we are stronger together. And the UK is stronger together in the fight against this pandemic,” Mr Hancock said during a Downing Street press conference.


He said there are “early signs that the actions we are taking are working”, with the rise in case numbers slowing and falling in some areas such as London and Scotland.


The number of Covid-19 patients in hospital in England stood at 32,938 as of 8am on Monday January 25, according to the latest figures from NHS England.


This is down 4 per cent on a week ago, and is the third day in a row that the number has fallen week-on-week. In London case numbers have fallen faster, with a 11 per cent drop week on week.

Two regions have seen a week-on-week rise in the number of Covid-19 patients: the Midlands, which has 6,330 patients, up 1 per cent; and north-east England/Yorkshire, which has 3,891, up 3 per cent.

Earlier on Monday Boris Johnson revealed the Government was “looking at the potential of relaxing some measures” by mid-February, although Downing Street later sought to clarify the remarks and said ministers would “keep the latest scientific evidence and data under review”.

At the press conference, Mr Hancock said that “now is not the moment” to ease up on restrictions.

He set out the factors the Government would take into account when reaching decisions over whether to lift coronavirus restrictions, which included: the death rate, the number of people in hospital, whether there were new coronavirus variants that significantly affect the course of the pandemic, and the success of the vaccine rollout.


Mr Hancock added: “We will look at all of these factors and make sure that we take the steps, as soon as it’s safely possible to do so of course, but when it is safe, which means that we’ve got to be carefully.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Street justice isn’t pretty but how else do you deal with this kind of insanity? Sometimes someone needs to standup and say something
Armenia and Azerbaijan sign U.S.-brokered accord at White House outlining transit link via southern Armenia
Barcelona Resolves Captaincy Issue with Marc-André ter Stegen
US Justice Department Seeks Release of Epstein and Maxwell Grand Jury Exhibits Amid Legal and Victim Challenges
Trump Urges Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan to Resign Over Alleged Chinese Business Ties
Scotland’s First Minister Meets Trump Amid Visit Highlighting Whisky Tariffs, Gaza Crisis and Heritage Links
Trump Administration Increases Reward for Arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro to Fifty Million Dollars
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
OpenAI Launches GPT‑5, Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet
Embarrassment in Britain: Homelessness Minister Evicted Tenants and Forced to Resign
President Trump nominated Stephen Miran, his top economic adviser and a critic of the Federal Reserve, to temporarily fill an open Fed seat
The AI-Powered Education Revolution: Market Potential and Transformative Impact
Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Southern China: Over 7,000 Hospitalized
French wine makers have seen catastrophic damage to vines that were almost ready to be harvested after the worst fires in more than 70 years burned through the south of the country
US Lawmaker Probes Intel CEO’s China Ties Amid National Security Concerns
Brazilian President Lula says he’ll contact the leaders of BRICS states to propose a unified response to U.S. tariffs
Trump Open to Meeting Putin as Soon as Next Week, with Possible Trilateral Summit Including Zelenskiy
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau spark dating rumors, joining high stakes world of celeb-politician romances
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war ahead of President Trump’s peace deadline
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Karol Nawrocki Inaugurated as Poland’s President, Setting Stage for Clash with Tusk Government
Trump Signals JD Vance as ‘Most Likely’ MAGA Successor for 2028
US Charges Two Chinese Nationals for Illegal Nvidia AI Chip Exports
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
U.S. Tariff Policy Triggers Market Volatility Amid Growing Global Trade Tensions
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
Representative Greene Urges H-1B Visa Cuts Amid U.S.-India Trade Tensions
U.S. House Committee Subpoenas Clintons and Senior Officials in Epstein Investigation
Sydney Sweeney Registered as Republican as Controversial American Eagle Ad Sparks Debate
Trump Accuses Major Banks of Politically Motivated Account Denials and Prepares Executive Order
TikTok Removes Huda Kattan Video Over Anti-Israel Conspiracy Claims
Trump Threatens Tariffs on India Over Russian Oil Imports
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
U.S. Proposes Visa Bond of Up to $15,000 for Some Applicants
U.S. Farmers Increase Lobbying Amid Immigration Crackdown
Elon Musk Receives $23.7 Billion Tesla Stock Award
Texas House Paralyzed After Democrats Walk Out Over Redistricting
Mexican Cartels Complicate Sheinbaum’s U.S. Security Talks
Mark Zuckerberg Declares War on the iPhone
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
×