COVID jab given to almost four in five over-80s but vaccine supply is 'tight', health secretary warns

Almost four in five of those aged over 80 have received a first dose of a COVID vaccine, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said.

Speaking at a Downing Street news conference, Mr Hancock said the government was “on track” to meet its deadline of offering a first dose of a coronavirus jab to 15 million of the most vulnerable by 15 February.

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He said more than one in nine of the UK’s adult population had now received a jab, including 78.7% of all over-80s.

Over the last week, 2.5 million got a vaccine at a rate of more than 250 people per minute, the health secretary added.

Mr Hancock said he was “delighted” that “there’s so much enthusiasm for vaccination” amongst the eldest in society.

“Octagenarians know what scientists know, which is that the vaccine saves lives,” he added.

But the health secretary warned that supply of COVID vaccines was “tight”.

“The rate-limiting factor to this vaccination programme remains supply,” he told the news conference.

“As we know, supply is tight. We’ve had a very strong performance in this past week and I’m confident the NHS will be able to deliver every shot that is made available to it.”

Mr Hancock hailed the opening of a further 32 large-scale vaccination centres on Monday.

But, away from the vaccination programme, he warned the NHS remains under “huge” pressure due to the COVID crisis.

He highlighted how there are currently 4,076 people on ventilators in hospitals, which is more than at any time during the whole pandemic.

“We’ve all, frankly, sacrificed too much and it’s so important that we protect lives,” the health secretary said, as he urged people to continue to abide by lockdown rules.

“We’re making progress with the vaccine, the end is in sight, and we cannot put that progress at risk.

“There’s a promise that better days lie ahead. We have to hold our nerve and persevere through this difficult winter.”

Almost every local area in Great Britain recorded more deaths than the five-year average since the start of the pandemic in mid-March.

London has been one of the worst affected regions. 13 of its boroughs are among the top 20 areas with highest excess deaths.

Newham, which is densely populated, recorded the highest excess deaths in Great Britain – 50% above average.

Almost two-thirds of people in Newham are from an ethnic minority background. The ONS found these groups have a greater risk of dying with coronavirus than white people.

The West Midlands has also been badly affected with eight in every ten areas in the region recording excess deaths above the national average.

The manufacturing town of Redditch registered over a third of its usual deaths. People in lower skilled jobs are among those most exposed to the virus.

Barnsley, in Yorkshire and the Humber, is also among the worst top 20, with 34% more deaths than average. The area is among the top 40 most deprived places in England.

COVID-19 has had a greater impact on deprived areas. Many of these are in the north of England, including Burnley and Rochdale.

In Scotland, southern areas near Edinburgh and Glasgow have experienced the most excess deaths. South Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire have the highest rate in Scotland, registering 24% more deaths than the 5-year average.

And in Wales, Merthyr Tydfill is not only among the top 20 places with highest excess, but it also has the second highest COVID-19 death rate in the UK, after Rhondda, also in Wales.

In the South East of England, five of the top ten places with highest excess deaths are in Kent, where the new variant, that caused a spike in infections, began.

Across the UK on Sunday, another 220,249 people received a first dose of a COVID vaccine, with more than 6.5m having now been given a jab.

This was the lowest daily number of first dose vaccinations given since 18 January.

The UK’s death toll has edged nearer to 100,000 on Monday with another 592 deaths recorded within 28 days of a positive COVID test, bringing the overall tally to 98,531.

The government also announced a further 22,195 coronavirus cases, the lowest daily rise in cases so far this year.

This article was originally published by Sky.com. Read the original article here.