LONDON (CU)_With Europe’s fastest vaccination programme underway, more than 20 million people across the United Kingdom have now received their first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. Describing the milestone as “a huge national achievement”, Prime Minister Boris Johnson acknowledged the contributions of the health workers, volunteers and armed forces, towards this achievement.
“I urge everyone to get the jab when called,” PM Johnson said. “Every jab makes a difference in our battle against COVID.”
With more than 122,800 virus-induced deaths reported, Britain has suffered the highest COVID-19 death toll in Europe, and the heaviest economic impact among big wealthy countries. Nevertheless, the ongoing success of the country’s vaccination roll-out has raised optimism regarding the possibility of gradually lifting the current lockdown.
Meanwhile, finance minister Rishi Sunak, on Sunday (Feb 28), pledged to assist the country’s economic recovery while the current restrictions continue. In a budget statement scheduled for Wednesday, the minister is expected to announce more borrowing on top of the £300 billion ($420 billion) government spending on various programs to keep businesses afloat during the pandemic.
According to official data, 20.09 million people in the UK have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while almost 800,000 have received a second dose. On Sunday, the country registered 6,035 new infections within the previous 24 hours, and 144 more deaths within 28 days of a positive test. Accordingly, over the past week, infections were down 21.2 per cent, in comparison to the previous week commencing February 15, while deaths were down 33.5 per cent.
