LONDON (AP) – The United Kingdom announced on Sunday that it had achieved its goal of giving at least one COVID-19 vaccine to the most vulnerable people in the country, increasing pressure on ministers to clarify when they are going to ease an imposed blockade early in January .
More than 15 million people, or 22% of the UK population, received their first injection. The figure includes the majority of people in the four priority government groups, including everyone over 75, frontline health professionals and employees of nursing homes and residents. More than 537,000 of them also received their second dose.
“15,000,000! Incredible team ″, Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccine minister, said in a tweet that featured a red heart and three syringes. “We are not going to rest until we offer the vaccine for the entire phase 1, categories 1-9 of the most vulnerable and all over 50 by the end of April and then all adults.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to reveal his roadmap for easing restrictions on February 22 amid signs that rates of infection, hospitalizations and deaths have fallen dramatically since England’s third national blockade began on January 4.
“This country has achieved an extraordinary feat – managing a total of 15 million jabs in the arms of some of the country’s most vulnerable people,” Johnson said in a tweet.
Johnson said that in England, the vaccine was offered to all four priority groups. He plans to release more details about the vaccination effort on Monday.
The dispute has already started between those who want the measures to be stopped as soon as possible and those who fear that they will act too quickly will lead to the resurgence of the virus.
Britain began its vaccination effort in December, when it became the first country to authorize the widespread use of a COVID-19 vaccine. It is second only to Israel, 73%, Seychelles, 53%, and the United Arab Emirates, 51% in the percentage of people who have received a dose, according to the University of Oxford. The USA is in fifth place, with 15%.
At the same time, the coronavirus blocking rules that closed schools, restaurants and non-essential stores in the UK are beginning to bear fruit. The number of new infections, hospitalizations and deaths recorded in the last seven days has dropped more than 20% compared to the previous week.
When Johnson announced the blockade, he said the government would review the measures in mid-February based on success in controlling the pandemic and the progress of the vaccination effort. Johnson’s first priority is to reopen schools, and he promised to notify schools two weeks in advance to give teachers time to prepare.
Britain reported more than 117,000 virus-related deaths, the largest number of pandemics in Europe.
Mark Harper, a ruling Conservative Party legislator, warned the government against “changing the bars” to decide when to ease the blockade.
Johnson should start reopening schools and then gradually lift other restrictions as more people are vaccinated, said Harper, who leads a group of about 70 lawmakers who have pressured the government to consider the negative economic and social impacts of the restrictions, along with the health benefits.
“After protecting people from serious illness and death, I don’t think that these draconian restrictions of not being able to find your family, not seeing your friends, not seeing your children, not seeing your parents, not visiting people in care, I don’t think that are more justified, ”Harper told Times Radio.
After reaching the goal of reaching the most vulnerable, UK authorities will progressively expand the vaccination campaign to the next five priority groups until the vaccine is offered to everyone over 50 and vulnerable young people with that put them at greater risk of contracting the virus.
Public health officials say the nine priority groups are responsible for 99% of deaths caused by COVID-19 so far.
Although vaccines currently authorized for use in the UK require two doses to ensure full protection against COVID-19, British authorities say that one dose provides a significant level of protection.
Because of this, they made it their priority to give the first dose to as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. To do this, Britain is planning to give a second dose after three months, instead of a month, as recommended by the manufacturers.
Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust health studies center, said the number of COVID-19 infections in Britain is still too high to consider lifting restrictions.
“We have made tremendous progress … but the transmission is still incredibly high and we have to get it down,” he said.
There are other dangers on the horizon. UK government scientific advisers say the COVID-19 variant now prevalent in the country could be up to 70% more deadly than previous variants, highlighting concerns about how the mutations may alter the characteristics of the disease.
The findings of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threat Advisory Group, published on Friday on the government website, are based on preliminary research released on January 21. The group, known as NERVTAG, includes experts from universities and public bodies across the UK
The new report is based on the analysis of a dozen studies that found that the so-called Kent variant, named after the county where it was first identified, is probably 30% to 70% more deadly than other variants. The studies compared hospitalization and mortality rates between people infected with the variant and those infected with other variants.
The results of the analysis are worrying, said Dr. David Strain, senior clinical professor at the University of Exeter Medical School and clinical head of COVID at Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital.
“Greater transmissibility means that people who were previously at low risk of contracting COVID (particularly younger, fit women) are now picking up and ending up in the hospital,” said Strain. “This is highlighted by the latest hospitalization figures, which now suggest a ratio of almost 50:50 men to women, compared to the predominance of men during the first wave. ″
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