It's estimated 1 in 50 people in UK have coronavirus

The good news is that 1.3 million people have received the vaccine

Author: Chris MaskeryPublished 5th Jan 2021

Boris Johnson has confirmed that 1.3 million people have received the covid-19 vaccine, but we've also been told that 1 in 50 people across the UK are estimated to have coronavirus.

In a press conference today the Prime Minister announced the new figures.

'1 in 50' estimated to have coronavirus

Professor Chris Whitty said that one in 50 people being estimated to have coronavirus across the UK is “really quite a large number indeed”.

England’s chief medical officer told the Downing Street press conference, citing ONS estimates, said that the second lockdown brought down rates.

“But then we had the problems with the new variant and the worst period of winter combining to lead to a significant increase since that time. And we’re now into a situation where, across the country as a whole, roughly one in 50 people have got the virus,” he continued.

“One in 50 is really quite a large number indeed.”

1.3 million people have now received Covid-19 vaccine

Boris Johnson said that 1.3 million people in the UK – including 1.1 million in England – have now received the coronavirus vaccine.

The Prime Minister told a No 10 press conference the figures includes 650,000 people over the age of 80, which was 23% of all the over 80s in England.

“That means nearly one-in-four of the most vulnerable groups will have in two to three weeks a significant degree of immunity,” he said.

“That is why I believe the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation was right to draw up a programme saving the most lives the fastest.”

'No choice' but to have a third lockdown

Boris Johnson has said he had “no choice” but to plunge England into a third national lockdown, as new figures suggested one in 50 people had coronavirus last week.

The Prime Minister vowed to use “every second” under the stringent restrictions to put an “invisible shield” around the elderly and vulnerable through a mass vaccination programme.

He said that, so far, more than 1.3 million people have been vaccinated against Covid-19 across the UK, including 23% of all the over 80s in England.

Mr Johnson, speaking at a Downing Street press conference the day after announcing new national controls, said: “I believe that when everybody looks at the position, people understand overwhelmingly that we have no choice.

“When the Office of National Statistics (ONS) is telling us that more than 2% of the population is now infected – that’s over one million people in England.

“And when today we have reported another 60,000 new cases, and when the number of patients in hospitals in England is now 40% higher than at the first peak in April.

“I think obviously everybody – you all – want to be sure that we in Government are now using every second of this lockdown to put that invisible shield around the elderly and the vulnerable in the form of vaccination and so to begin to bring this crisis to an end.”

The ONS figures show an estimated 1.1 million people in private households in England had Covid-19 between December 27 and January 2 – equivalent to around 2.06% of the population.

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