COVID-19: More than 70% of UK adults have now received first dose of coronavirus vaccine | UK News

More than 70% of UK adults have now received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, the government said.

Still 174,100 first coronavirus injections were given on Tuesday to bring the total to 36,985,505 (70.2%), while 20,870,453 people (39.6%) are fully vaccinated after an additional 324,001 seconds.

Follow live coronavirus updates from UK and around the world

This comes after appointments for the second doses were postponed from 12 to eight weeks for those in the first nine priority groups who have not yet received both vaccines, and the introduction of the surge vaccination in the areas where the so-called Indian variant is most prevalent.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the UK had one of the highest participation rates in the world, “with 90% of people saying they had or will have it.”

He added: “Strong evidence shows that vaccines protect you and your loved ones against serious illness and also reduce transmission, which is why we have introduced additional surge measures in areas where cases of variant increased for the first time in India.

NHS England leader for the COVID immunization program, Dr Emily Lawson, said more than a million appointments had been made in less than a week since the rollout was extended to people in their 30s, ages 36 and 37 years can now reserve.

Meanwhile, the UK has reported 2,696 other infections and three coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24-hour period.

There was seven deaths and 2412 cases announced Tuesday, while last Wednesday 11 deaths and 2,284 cases have been reported.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

It comes after the Prime Minister said there was “growing confidence” in the effectiveness of vaccines against the Indian variant of the coronavirus.

The emergence of faster spreading B1617.2 …