More than 25 million people in the UK have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Figures out today show the UK health services vaccinated a total of 25,273,226 people between 8 December and 16 March with first doses of the Pfizer and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines, while 1,759,445 people have had their second dose.
This means almost half of the adult population (26.5 million) have already been vaccinated and will soon develop strong protection from a serious illness, saving countless lives and significantly reducing pressure on the NHS.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
This latest milestone is an incredible achievement – representing 25 million reasons to be confident for the future as we cautiously reopen society. Thank you once again to the brilliant NHS, scientists, armed forces, volunteers and all those who’ve helped our rollout.