Covid-19: Hancock hails UK vaccine success after record day for jabs

Half of all UK adults have now received a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, the health secretary has announced.Matt Hancock said 26.8 million people being given a first dose between 8 December and 19 March was a "phenomenal achievement".He added that more people had a jab on Friday than on any other day.Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was one of those to receive a first dose on Friday, with all over-50s now eligible, also hailed the achievement.Some 2.1 million people have also received their second dose of a vaccine."Vaccinating over half of all adults is a phenomenal achievement and is testament to the mammoth efforts of the NHS, GPs, volunteers, local authorities and civil servants in every corner of the UK," said Mr Hancock.The news comes after the government confirmed a shipment of about five million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab would be delayed, resulting in an expected reduction in the number of first doses - including for the under-50s - given during April.Meanwhile, European countries, including France, Germany and Italy, have begun offering the Oxford jab again after a pause over safety fears.He added: "It's a huge success and I want to say many, many thanks to all those involved, including the half of all adults who have come forward."The UK vaccination programme is a big success story. It's down to the hard work of many, many people."Mr Johnson said in a tweet: "Many thanks to everyone involved in this fantastic achievement. Let's keep going!"The prime minister gave a double thumbs-up to mark his own vaccination on Friday, telling reporters: "I literally did not feel a thing and so it was very good, very quick and I cannot recommend it too highly."Government data up to 18 March suggested 49.9% of the UK population aged 18 and over had received a first dose of the vaccine, with an estimated 73,000 more jabs needed to pass the halfway mark. Figures are released daily with an update due later on Saturday.Coronavirus cases in your areaHow will we know Covid vaccines are safe?'Anti-vax propaganda through my letterbox'Despite the progress of the UK's vaccine rollout, a scientist advising the government has warned overseas holidays would be "extremely unlikely" because of the risk of travellers bringing Covid variants back to the UK.The UK faced a "real risk" if people travelled abroad in the summer, Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the government's Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, which feeds into Sage, said.Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said it was "too early to tell" when holidays abroad would be allowed.Under the current roadmap for easing restrictions, the earliest date people in England could holiday abroad would be 17 May.With all over-50s now able to take up the offer of a vaccine dose, the vaccination programme approaches a target to offer a vaccine to the top nine priority groups, as determined by scientific advisers, by mid-April.These included frontline health and care workers, people who were clinically vulnerable and those with an increased risk of hospitalisation - covering 99% of those at risk of dying from Covid-19.In Northern Ireland and some areas of Scotland, people in their 50s were already being offered a Covid vaccine. Parts of England may already have started offering it to this age group too, with Wales targeting an offer of one dose to all over-50s by mid-April.The most-recent issues with supplies meant the vaccine rollout would be "slightly slower than we might have hoped but not slower than the target we had set ourselves", Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said on Friday.Those with appointments for second doses should attend as normal and it is expected April could see more second doses than first doses for the first time.Alongside the Oxford vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech jab, the UK has also approved a third vaccine - from Moderna - which is due to start being rolled out in late spring.