556,127 vaccines administered in Dorset
But Dorset clinicians are warning us not to become complacent
New NHS figures show 556,127 vaccines have been administered in Dorset.
That means 454,510 people have their first jabs, with around 101,617 thousand getting their second dose.
But clinicians are warning us not to count all our chickens just yet, urging caution as restrictions ease.
Alastair Hutchison is the Chief Medical Officer for Dorset County Hospital.
He says that a fourth wave of the virus is inevitable, but the vaccine might have an impact on how that plays out.
He said:
"The vaccine campaign has been hugely successful but we have still got to vaccinate the majority of people under the age of 50.
"8% of the deaths have been in that age group, so therefore it is still very important that we try to minimise those cases.
"Although that younger age group is less sucesceptible to COVID, nonetheless there is still a significant number of deaths occuring in that group of people."
He added:
"We know that the virus can mutate and we still don't fully understand how much protection the various vaccines that we now have give us against those variants.
"The signs are all quite good but until the next wave starts, we won't know for sure that the vaccine is working."
He, like many clinicians, is urging us to stick to the rules of hands, face and space even as restrictions ease to prevent backtracking.