More than 60 percent of adults in the United Kingdom have received a second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, securing the fullest possible protection, as the vaccination program continues at an unprecedented pace and scale in the country. With 75,188,795 million doses administered in total, 43,448,680 million people across the UK have now been vaccinated with a first dose (82.5 percent), while 31,740,115 million people have had both doses (60.3 percent), the UK government said in a press statement. The recent analysis by Public Health England (PHE) shows that COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against hospitalization from the Delta (B.1.61.2) variant, the government said in the statement. The analysis suggests the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 96 percent effective and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is 92 percent effective against hospitalization after both doses, the statement added. By July 19, all those aged 40 and over and the clinically extremely vulnerable, who received their first dose by mid-May, will have been offered their second dose in the UK, according to the government plan. UK Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: "The vaccination teams have been working incredibly hard to provide people with much-needed protection from this life-threatening disease." "With more and more evidence emerging on just how effective two doses of our vaccines are in protecting against the Delta variant, it's great to see three in five adults have been double jabbed, so we're well on our way to the whole country getting the fullest possible protection." The UK health secretary added: "We're so close now to ensuring the entire adult population is protected — now everyone aged 18 and above can make an appointment, so make sure you book in for your first and second doses as soon as possible." Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: "Two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine are absolutely vital in ensuring the fullest possible protection the jabs have to offer — it's extraordinary that three in five people have now been vaccinated with both jabs. "No matter where you live, where you come from, your background or your beliefs — provided you are over 18, there is a vaccine available to you. I urge everyone eligible to get their jab and help us get back to normality," Zahawi added. — SG
