LONDON (Reuters) – More than 20 million people across the UK have received the first vaccine against COVID-19, data showed on Sunday as the country moved forward with Europe’s fastest vaccination program.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the milestone represented “a huge national success and testified to the health of the country, workers, volunteers and the armed forces.
“I urge everyone to receive the blow when it is called,” Johnson said. “Every blow makes a difference in our battle against COVID.”
Britain has suffered the highest number of deaths from COVID-19 in Europe (currently standing at 122,849) and the most intense economic shock among large rich countries, according to key official data.
But the pace of vaccination launches has raised the possibility of phasing out current blockade restrictions by the end of June.
On Sunday, Finance Minister Rishi Sunak vowed to help the economy as long as the country remains under restrictions.
In a budget statement Wednesday, it is expected to announce more loans in addition to the nearly £ 300bn ($ 418bn) of COVID-19 spending and tax cuts.
Official data showed that a total of 20.09 million people in Britain have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and almost 800,000 have received a second dose.
Last week, Britain said more than one in three adults had received the first vaccination.
Britain also reported 6,035 more cases on Sunday during the previous 24 hours and 144 more deaths in the 28 days following the positive test.
The latest figures meant that the cases of the last seven days fell by 21.2% compared to the previous seven-day period from 15 to 21 February and deaths fell by 33.5%.
Written by William Schomberg; Edited by Jane Merriman and Susan Fenton