Three quarters of UK adults have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine as our incredible vaccine rollout continues and we build up a wall of protection against the virus. A total of 86,780,455 doses have been administered in the UK, with 47,091,889 people receiving a first dose (89%) and 39,688,566 people receiving both doses (75%).

Getting two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine is the key to enjoying freedoms safely, with the protection of two vaccines helping to save over 60,000 lives and severely weaken the link between COVID-19 cases, hospitalisations and deaths – with 22 million infections and 66,900 hospitalisations being prevented by the vaccines.

Data from Public Health England (PHE) shows COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against hospitalisation from the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant. The analysis shows the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is 96% effective and the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is 92% effective against hospitalisation after 2 doses.

The Government is working closely with the NHS to make it as easy as possible to get a vaccine, including through ‘grab a jab’ pop-up vaccine sites across the country – for example, at London-based club Heaven last weekend (Sunday 8 August) as well as football stadiums and festivals up and down the country.

People can make an appointment through the national booking system either online or by calling 119, and can use a vaccination centre, walk-in centre, or one of the pop-up vaccinations centres that are now in shopping centres, workplaces and high streets.

All adults in the UK are able to get their second doses after 8 weeks. This will mean every adult has the chance to have 2 doses by mid-September. People will be required to prove they’ve had 2 jabs to enter nightclubs and other venues where large crowds gather by the end of September.

From 16 August, double-vaccinated people will also no longer be required to self-isolate if they are identified as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case. People will continue to be advised to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to detect the virus and variants of concern and anyone who tests positive will still be legally required to self-isolate, irrespective of their vaccination status.

Vaccinated people are far less likely to get COVID-19 with symptoms and even more unlikely to get serious COVID-19, to be admitted to hospital, or to die from it and there is growing evidence that they are less likely to pass the virus to others.

Thanks to the fantastic work of the NHS, volunteers and everyone involved in the incredible vaccine rollout, three in four adults across the UK have now had both doses of the vaccine – a huge national achievement, which we should all be proud of. We urge everybody who has not yet received their second dose to do so as soon as possible to protect themselves, protect their loved ones and allow us all to safely return to normal life.

For more information on the historic vaccination programme following this milestone, including comments from the Prime Minister, the Health and Social Care Secretary and the Vaccines Minister, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/3-in-4-uk-adults-receive-both-doses-of-a-covid-19-vaccine.