Over 20 million UK adults now fully vaccinated with both Covid-19 jabs

16 May 2021, 16:03 | Updated: 16 May 2021, 17:03

20 million UK adults have now received both Covid-19 vaccination jabs, as a raft of lockdown measures are set to be lifted tomorrow.

Latest figures show 36,573,354 first doses have been given, and 20,103,658 second doses.

In Wales it was announced today the number of people who have had at least one dose passed two million.

The latest figures show that 2,019,160 people had received their first dose while 915,674 people have had their second jab.

Read more: Push to deliver 'a million jabs a day' to drive down India Covid-19 variant

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Health Minister Eluned Morgan said: "This is a fantastic achievement in such a short space of time. I'm incredibly proud and grateful to the thousands of people - NHS staff, military personnel and volunteers - who have worked so hard across the country to reach this milestone.

Vaccinations will protect against future variants

"Vaccination is making a real difference to the course of this pandemic. Every dose delivered is a small victory against this awful virus."

It was reported earlier today that the government hopes to increase Britain's vaccine rollout to a million jabs a day in an attempt to beat the increasing prevalence of the Indian Covid-19 variant.

Experts have urged people to take a cautious approach to social interaction ahead of the major easing of coronavirus restrictions tomorrow.

Ministers are pushing ahead with the changes with despite concerns over the Indian variant of Covid-19.

Ministers have told MPs they expect to increase daily doses from 500,000 to 800,000 within a fortnight, by drawing on a stockpile of 3.2 million doses, according to the Telegraph.

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On Sunday the deputy chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation told LBC vaccines will "definitely prevent severe disease" even as new variants emerge.

Professor Anthony Harnden told Swarbrick on Sunday that the current vaccines "are all very good" at preventing hospitalisations and deaths, adding: "There is no reason to suspect that these vaccines that we are using won't be equally effective in terms of severe disease, against the variant that originated in India."

SAGE scientists have concluded with "confidence" that the Indian variant more transmissible than the Kent variant that is currently dominant in the UK, however Prof Harnden told LBC the NHS will still be protected, "provided you get people vaccinated".

"That is the key and there are still lots of people in risk groups which haven't been vaccinated yet and that is why we are really pushing ahead," the Oxford vaccine expert explained.

Read more: Over 50s to get fast-track second jab as England's unlocking continues

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