LONDON (Reuters) – Britain became the first country to vaccinate its population with the injection of AstraZeneca University of Oxford and COVID-19 on Monday, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson was set to tighten restrictions in England in an attempt to slow the spread of cases.
Johnson will deliver a televised speech at 8 pm (GMT) and parliament will be convened on Wednesday.
“The spread of the new variant of COVID-19 has led to a rapid escalation in the number of cases across the country,” said a spokesman for the prime minister’s office.
“The Prime Minister is clear that new measures must be taken now to stop this increase and protect the NHS (National Health Service) and save lives. He will separate you tonight. “
Against the sinister backdrop of recorded daily cases, Britain proclaimed a scientific “triumph” when dialysis patient Brian Pinker, 82, became the first person to have Oxford / AstraZeneca shot out of a trial.
“I am delighted to receive the COVID vaccine today and very proud that it was invented in Oxford,” said Pinker, a retired maintenance manager, just a few hundred meters from where the vaccine was developed.
Britain is battling the sixth highest death toll in the world and one of the worst economic blows of the COVID-19 crisis. Over 75,000 people in the UK died of COVID-19 in 28 days after a positive test.
It was the first country to launch the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech in Germany almost a month ago, and is prioritizing giving a first dose of vaccines to as many people as possible instead of giving second doses.
Some experts say they are concerned with this approach.
Two new variants of the coronavirus are complicating the response of COVID-19 and Britain has seen a resurgence in cases of new daily peaks.
UK scientists have expressed concern that the COVID-19 vaccines being launched may not be able to protect against a new variant of the coronavirus that has emerged in South Africa and has spread internationally.
Johnson warned of “difficult, difficult weeks” ahead.
“If you look at the numbers, there is no doubt that we will have to take tougher action,” Johnson said on a visit to see healthcare professionals getting the Oxford vaccine.
MORE RESTRICTIONS
ITV News said the most severe level of restrictions in Tier 4, which currently covers much of England, will be imposed across the country and schools will be closed.
Going ahead of Johnson, Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon imposed the most severe blockade since last spring.
“It is no exaggeration to say that I am more concerned with the situation we face now than at any time since March,” she said.
Britain has administered more than a million COVID-19 vaccines – more than the rest of Europe combined, said Health Secretary Matt Hancock, declaring this a triumph of British science.
Johnson’s government has guaranteed 100 million doses of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine, which can be stored in refrigerator temperatures between two and eight degrees, making it easier to distribute than the Pfizer injection.
Six hospitals in England are administering the first of about 530,000 doses that Britain has prepared. The program will be expanded to hundreds of other British locations in the coming days, and the government expects it to deliver tens of millions of doses in a few months.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they administered 4.2 million first doses of COVID-19 vaccines on Saturday morning and distributed 13.07 million doses.
More than a tenth of Israel’s population received a vaccine and is now administering more than 150,000 doses a day.
Germany and Denmark are studying the possibility of postponing the administration of a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine to keep supplies in short supply after a similar move by Britain.
Britain has become the first western country to approve and launch a COVID-19 vaccine, although it is behind Russia and China, which have been inoculating their citizens for months.
Additional reporting by Elizabeth Piper, Writing by William James, Guy Faulconbridge and Alistair Smout; Editing by Kate Holton, Nick Macfie and Mike Collett-White