The Prime Minister has been clear that our roadmap out of lockdown is irreversible and we must be cautious, and as we continue to look at the data in real time. The Prime Minister has therefore today updated the public on the fourth step of our cautious and irreversible roadmap, announcing a four-week delay in lifting lockdown restrictions in England to Monday 19 July amid rising cases of the Delta variant.
The Prime Minister has explained that the postponement of Step four of the Roadmap, will allow for more people to receive their second jab before further easing of restrictions takes place. The proposed extension will be reviewed to see if action can be taken two weeks' sooner on Monday 5 July.
We have made huge amounts of progress thanks to the phenomenal success of our vaccine programme, the heroic efforts of our NHS and key workers, and the support of millions across the country, allowing us to unlock many parts of our economy.
The Roadmap has always, vitally, been cautious but irreversible, and we are continuing to look at the data. The delayed lifting of lockdown restrictions will be scrutinised by Parliament. Most importantly, everyone must continue to remember the best way to defeat this virus is hands, face, space and fresh air, and when you get the call, get the jab.
Over 70 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered in UK
We have now reached the extraordinary milestone of giving more than 71 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in the UK, as the rapid pace of our vaccination programme continues to take us closer to normality.
Vaccines are our route out of the pandemic – vaccinated people are less likely to get COVID-19 symptoms, be admitted to hospital or die from the disease, and there is growing evidence that vaccinated people are less likely to pass the virus on to others. That is why it is an extraordinary achievement that over 71 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have now been administered across the country, with more than 41 million (78%) people receiving at least one jab and more than 29 million (55.4%) people receiving both doses, meaning we are almost at the final lap of the race to offer a dose to all adults by the end of the July.
A recent study by Public Health England (PHE) shows that 2 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant. Vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease from the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant is similar after 2 doses compared with the Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant, and we expect to see even higher levels of effectiveness against hospitalisation and death.
To ensure people have the strongest possible protection against COVID-19, appointments for second doses have been brought forward from 12 to 8 weeks for the remaining people in the top 9 priority groups who have yet to receive both doses.
This extraordinary milestone marks another incredible step forward in our journey back to normality, but we must all ensure that when you get the call, get the jab – and protect yourself and your loved ones.
For more information on the vaccination programme, following the milestone of over 70 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered in UK, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/over-70-million-doses-of-covid-19-vaccine-administered-in-uk.
