TWO-THIRDS of adults have had at least one Covid jab, the government said yesterday – as cases fell to their lowest level since last summer.
Last night, the NHS had administered 51.8million jabs, including 16.7million second doses.
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The government met its target of vaccinating the most vulnerable by April 15, and remains on track to offer a first dose to all adults by the end of July.
Jabs have now saved more than 10,000 British lives, a number which increases every day.
It comes as 2,490 cases were confirmed yesterday with 15 deaths from the virus.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said: “This has been a truly national effort.
The NHS has delivered the vaccine at an incredible pace.
“One jab at a time, the vaccines are helping to send this virus into retreat, with coronavirus cases and deaths now at their lowest levels since the start of the pandemic.
“I strongly encourage everyone to take up the offer when it comes so we can put this pandemic behind us.”
Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “This is an incredible achievement.
“It is now more important than ever to come forward for the second dose, so we can ensure everyone has the strongest possible protection from this dreadful virus.”
An extra 60million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine have been secured to give third, booster doses to the most vulnerable in the autumn.
Yesterday, experts advising the government said people aged 30 to 39 should be offered an alternative to the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine “where practically possible” due to blood clot fears.
But the government said people under 40 WILL be offered the AZ jab if waiting for an alternative would delay the vaccine rollout.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said its new advice came from “an abundance of caution” and the risks are still “vanishingly small” for most people.
A government spokesman said: “The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is safe, effective and has already saved thousands of lives in the UK and around the world.
“As a precaution, it is preferable for people under 40 to be offered an alternative, and only if doing so does not cause a substantial delay in accessing a vaccination.”
New stats show the risk of a serious blood clot after the AZ jab is 10.5 in a million after the first jab, and one in a million after the second.
There have been 242 severe blood clots out of 28million first doses given, and six out of 6million second doses.
A total 49 people have died from these clots.
The NHS is still on track to offer a vaccine to every adult by the end of July, and the government is “laser focused” on meeting that target.
Meanwhile, new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed Covid infections are now at their lowest since September 5 2020.
Just one in 1,180 people in England tested positive for the virus last week, a total of 46,100 cases.
In Wales one in 2,070 people had it (1,500 cases), in Scotland it was one in 760 (6,900 cases) and in Northern Ireland one in 750 (2,400).
Sarah Crofts, of the ONS, said: “We’re continuing to see a decrease in infections.”
