Yesterday the Prime Minister announced that more than 1.3 million people have been vaccinated across the UK, representing one of our most significant achievements - vaccinating more people than the rest of Europe combined.
We can be rightly proud of the UK’s world leading efforts to tackle this virus, as the first country in the world to approve both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines as well as being fourth in the world for vaccinations per capita, with more than 1.3 million people across the UK now vaccinated including 23 per cent of all those over 80 in England.
Our NHS has a clear delivery plan for the vaccine, and is committed to offering a vaccination to everyone in the top four priority groups by 15 February, in our efforts to save lives as fast as possible. To help meet this target, we already have 595 GP-led sites and 107 hospitals providing the vaccine, and will have nearly a thousand sites in place across the country by the end of this week. Next week, we will also deliver 7 vaccination centres in places such as sports stadia and exhibition centres as we roll out the biggest vaccination programme in our history.
Although there will still be many long weeks ahead that will require us to once again make huge sacrifices, thanks to the extraordinary work of our scientists, our NHS and the resolve of the British people, we now know the path to beating this virus and we are making vital progress.
Vaccine Scams
A fraudulent text message is circulating claiming to be from the NHS, encouraging people to ‘apply’ for their COVID vaccine. Remember: the COVID-19 is free via the NHS only. It is not possible to purchase the vaccine or obtain via other methods.
For more information and advice on what to do if you recive a fraudulent text messages about the COVID-19 Vaccine, please visit: https://conversation.which.co.uk/scams/scam-nhs-covid-vaccine-text-message/.
If you have received a text message from Basildon University Hospital it means that you are eligible to have the COVID-19 vaccine during the first wave of the vaccination programme. The text you have received will have clear NHS Mid and South Essex (MSE) branding with a link that allows you to book an appointment and there will also be a telephone line option. If you are concerned that the message is a scam, please call 01245 515 919.
