LONDON — Three-quarters of adults in the United Kingdom have now received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, the UK government said in a press statement on Tuesday. A total of 86,780,455 doses have been administered in the UK, with more than 47 people million receiving a first dose (89 percent) and over 39.5 million people receiving both doses (75 percent). Data from Public Health England (PHE) shows COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against hospitalization from the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant. The analysis shows the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 96 percent effective and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is 92% effective against hospitalization after two doses. The latest data from Public Health England and Cambridge University shows that around 60,000 deaths, 22 million infections and 66,900 hospitalizations have been prevented by the vaccines. Commenting on reaching a major milestone, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "Our incredible vaccine rollout has now provided vital protection against the virus to three-quarters of all UK adults. This is a huge national achievement, which we should all be proud of." "It's so important that those who haven't been vaccinated come forward as soon as possible to book their jab — to protect themselves, protect their loved ones and allow us all to enjoy our freedoms safely," Johnson added. UK Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: "Three in four adults across the UK have now had both doses of the vaccine, which is incredible and a testament to the fantastic work of the NHS, volunteers and everyone involved in the rollout." "Getting two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine is the key to enjoying a host of new freedoms safely — whether that be to enjoy a trip abroad with family or a night out with friends — as we continue to build our wall of protection." "The vaccines are allowing us to reconnect with the things we love, but more than that, they're protecting the people we love too, the Uk health secretary added. The UK government secured access to hundreds of millions of doses of the most promising COVID-19 vaccines early on behalf of the entire UK, crown dependencies and overseas territories. The UK's medicine regulator, the MHRA, was the first in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines, allowing the rapid deployment of vaccines across the country and ensuring the UK has one of the fastest vaccination programs in the world. Vaccinated people are far less likely to get COVID-19 with symptoms and even more unlikely to get serious COVID-19, to be admitted to hospital, or to die from it and there is growing evidence that they are less likely to pass the virus to others.
