The long lockdown and NHS efforts to administer the coronavirus vaccine are starting to pay off. Deaths have declined significantly since the start of the year – although the Indian variant sees the rate of decline slow down somewhat.
ONS data shows that April was the first month since August 2020 that the number of deaths was below the five-year average.
ONS data also showed Covid was the ninth leading cause of death in England in April, its lowest ranking since September 2020.
A total of 941 deaths were from the coronavirus in April, equivalent to 2.4% of all deaths in England. Another 35 have been registered in Wales.
The number of cases has also declined significantly, although the rate of decline has slowed in recent weeks with the emergence of the Indian variant.
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Over three million people in Scotland received their first dose and two million in Wales.
Northern Ireland has administered over a million first doses.
More second doses are currently given than first doses, as people in earlier priority groups receive their booster shots.
The first vaccines are now offered to people in their 30s in parts of the UK.
Currently, people aged 35 and over in England, over 30 in Northern Ireland, over 40 in Scotland and over 40 in Wales can book appointments.
All adults in the UK are expected to be offered their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine by the end of July.
The number of first doses given each day now averages about 175,000 – down from an average of about 500,000 in mid-March – as the second dose schedule takes effect.
On average, approximately 350,000 seconds are currently administered per day.
The UK has three vaccines approved for use: Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Moderna, both of which require two doses for maximum protection.
The campaign to reach as many people as quickly as possible was spurred by a policy change in early January – to prioritize the first dose of a vaccine, with a second dose up to 12 weeks later, a gap more important than initially expected.
Public Health England has estimated that 11,700 deaths have been prevented in people aged 60 and over in England, as a direct result of vaccination, until April 25, 2021.
Progress in the UK so far means the country continues to be among those with the highest vaccination rates in the world.
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Source: feedproxy.google.com
This notice was published: 2021-05-20 13:43:00
