LONDON (AP) – Britain said on Saturday that half of the country’s adults received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as the government races to reach everyone over 18 by the end of July.
The National Health Service has placed injections in the arms of 26.9 million people, or 51% of the adult population, according to the latest government statistics. The NHS passed halfway through delivering 589,689 first doses on Friday, the highest daily total since the mass vaccination program started in early December.
“It’s a huge success,” said Health Secretary Matt Hancock in a video celebrating the milestone. “And I want to say a big, big thank you to everyone involved, including half of all the adults who performed. It is very important because this vaccine is our way out of the pandemic. “
The announcement came after news from health officials earlier this week that Britain would see a “significant reduction” in vaccine supplies next month. The NHS will continue throughout April, delivering the first doses to those most at risk with COVID-19, along with 12 million second jabs, Hancock said on Saturday.
In an effort to vaccinate as many people as possible, the UK decided to extend the time between the first and second doses to 12 weeks, instead of four weeks, as originally planned. Public health officials say the vaccines the country is using offer a high level of immunity after an injection, although two are needed for full protection.
Britain has distributed 44 doses of the vaccine to every 100 people, more than any other country with a population of more than 10 million, according to data compiled by the University of Oxford. The United States is in second place with 35 doses per 100.
Even as Britain celebrates its success, there are growing concerns about the failure of rich countries to share scarce supplies of vaccines with developing countries.
While Britain should be proud of its vaccination campaign, it’s time to start thinking about the rest of the world, said Dr. Jeremy Farrar, director of Wellcome, a London-based health policy think tank.
Britain has acquired the rights to a significantly higher dose of the vaccine than it needs to treat the entire population of the UK, and it is time to start sharing that surplus with the most needy countries, said Farrar in a statement released after the announcement. from Hancock. Ensuring that the world is vaccinated is a scientific and economic imperative, he said.
The government secured the rights to a total of 457 million doses of eight vaccines. With 66.8 million people living in Britain, this is enough to fully vaccinate the entire population three times.
“If left to spread out of control in large parts of the world, the virus is at risk of mutating to the point that our vaccines and treatments no longer work – leaving us all exposed,” said Farrar. “Science has given us the exit strategy, but it will only work if its benefits reach the maximum number of people worldwide.”
Wellcome is a co-founder of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, which is part of the effort to ensure equitable access to coronavirus vaccines worldwide.
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