Half of UK adults now have both doses of a coronavirus vaccine

More than half of all adults in the UK have received a second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Health services across the UK have now administered a total of 66,180,731 vaccines between 8 December and 2 June, that includes:

• 39,758,428 people with first doses
• 26,422,303 people with both doses

That means 50.2% of the adult population is now fully vaccinated.

Are we protected from the Indian variant?

A recent study by Public Health England (PHE) shows that two doses of the COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against the so-called "Indian Variant".

Effectiveness against getting symptoms of the disease from that variant is similar after two doses compared to other dominant variants in the UK.

The Department for Health says they expect to see even higher levels of effectiveness against hospitalisation and death, which means the NHS shouldn't face the sorts of pressures it has during previous waves.

Vaccine roll out continues

The government aims to offer all adults at least one dose by the end of July, and announced earlier this week that 75% of adults had already had their first dose.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "“Shortly after vaccinating three quarters of adults with a first dose, I'm thrilled that we have now vaccinated over half of adults with the life-saving second dose.

“We know how important the second dose is to give protection, particularly against the Delta variant. That's why we’ve brought forward appointments from 12 to 8 weeks for the most vulnerable people.

“I encourage everyone who is eligible to join the millions who have the fullest possible protection from this virus. Let's roll up our sleeves and put this pandemic behind us, once and for all.”

More vaccines are coming online

Last week, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) announced that Janssen’s COVID-19 vaccine was authorised for use in the UK.

Earlier this year, the single-dose vaccine was shown to be 67 per cent effective overall in preventing COVID-19 infection and 85% effective in preventing severe disease or hospitalisation.

Hear the latest news on Downtown Country on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.