GOOD JAB
30 MILLION Brits have now had Covid vaccine as government confirms Moderna rollout will see under-50s jabbed in April
THIRTY million Brits have now received the coronavirus vaccine - just over three months after the first jab was given out.
The incredible milestone comes as the government confirmed the rollout of the Moderna vaccine would see under-50s immunised in April.
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According to the latest figures, 423,852 people received their first shot yesterday, meaning 30,151,287 Brits have now received at least their first dose.
And 201,335 have received their second dose, taking the total to 3,527,481.
It comes just over fifteen weeks after 91-year-old Margaret Keenan made history by being the first Brit to receive the jab on December 8.
Since that date, the UK’s immunisation programme has surged ahead - with the government smashing its target of vaccinating the four most vulnerable priority groups by mid-February.
Daily vaccinations have continued at an extraordinary pace in the past month - peaking on March 20 at 753,659.
Health secretary Matt Hancock today hailed the "phenomenal achievement", and thanked everyone who had come forward to get their jab.
He said: "The vaccine is saving lives and is our route out of this pandemic. I want to say a massive thanks to the team."
'PHENOMENAL ACHIEVEMENT'
Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi wrote: "The big 30,000,000! Protected with first jab. We continue towards that goal of protecting the whole adult population by end July.
"Incredible teams all over the country focusing on 1-9. April will be second dose month."
The success of the rollout, combined with lockdown restrictions, has seen deaths plunge from a seven-day average of 1,280 in mid-January to 64 as of March 19.
Hospitalisations have also fallen dramatically from a peak of 4,577 on January 12 to 361 on March 20.
The jab rollout has seen thousands of volunteers, GPs and NHS workers team up in an extraordinary national effort to beat the bug.
Mass vaccination hubs, opened in January, have also helped to accelerate the programme - and opened in football stadiums, churches and theatres.
And should the rollout continue at its current pace, the government aims to offer all British adults a jab by the end of July.
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The milestone comes on the same day that ministers confirmed that the Moderna vaccine would be rolled out to Brits by the end of April - with offers expanded to under-50s.
Culture secretary Oliver Dowden said the US-manufactured jab could arrive in the UK "later this month" in a huge boost for the vaccination programme.
It follows a report in the which claimed doctors would begin using the Moderna vaccine in just three weeks.
Asked about the Moderna jab, Mr Dowden told Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday: "We don't get into supply chains but the Health Secretary has indicated that he would expect later this month we would start to see Moderna.
"We do expect the Moderna vaccine to come later this month."
Under the plans, more than 500,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine will be added to millions of Pfizer and Oxford-AstraZeneca jabs that will be administered in the UK.
'JAB BOOST'
The news comes as a huge boost to the rollout amid fears that a drop in supply next month would put a dent in the immunisation programme.
Earlier this month, NHS England warned of “reductions in national inbound vaccines supply” and asked organisations to ensure no further jab appointments were uploaded to booking systems in April.
NHS bosses had said that as a result, people under the age of 50 should only get the jab if they are in a priority group for the vaccine.
It was previously thought that most Brits in their 40s would need to wait until May for their first dose - but this could be sped up due to the availability of the Moderna jab.
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While the UK has surged ahead, the EU has seen a sluggish rollout hampered by political infighting, skepticism over the AstraZeneca vaccine and production delays.
Frustration over the rollout across the EU, which has jabbed a small fraction of its population, has prompted a diplomatic stand-off between the UK and the bloc amid threats of a vaccine war.
EU politicians had unveiled a new crackdown on shipments of jabs outside the bloc as the continent spirals into a devastating third wave - and threatened to block exports to the UK.
But Europe last night backed away from threats of a vaccine war with Britain after emergency talks between Boris Johnson and EU leaders.
No 10 and Brussels issued a rare joint statement vowing to work together and strike a deal on jabs supplies.
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Brussels has repeatedly complained that it has exported 10 million jabs to Britain, mostly of the Pfizer jab, without receiving any in reply.
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British officials insist so-called "reciprocity" is about more than just finished vaccines.
They say the UK plays a crucial role in providing the continent with raw materials and has ploughed millions into developing new shots.
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