Boris Johnson urges eligible Brits to come forward for Covid vaccine as Government closes in on vaccine target

Nearly two million more people need be vaccinated by February 15 for the Government to reach its target
April Roach @aprilroach2810 February 2021

Boris Johnson has urged the remaining eligible individuals who are yet to receive a coronavirus vaccine to come forward as the Government closes in on its target of 15 million first doses by February 15.

According to Government figures, 13,577,851 first doses of coronavirus vaccines have been offered in the UK.

Based on the latest figures, an average of 388,340 first doses of vaccine would be needed each day to meet the Government’s target.

Mr Johnson told a Downing Street press conference on Wednesday: “With less than a week to go until the target date of Monday the 15th, there’s no doubt we’ve made great strides, with just over 13 million people now vaccinated in our United Kingdom, including one in four adults in England, over 90 per cent of everyone over 75 and over 90 per cent of eligible residents of care homes for the elderly.

“But that still leaves nearly two million people, a population roughly twice the size of Birmingham, that we still hope to reach.

“Now is the moment to do it.”

He issued a particular appeal to social care workers who still have not been vaccinated to contact their employer to “fix it up”.

Government data up to February 9 shows that of the 13,577,851 jabs given in the UK so far, 13,058,298 were first doses – a rise of 411,812 on the previous day.

This means nearly one in four adults in the UK have received a first dose.

Some 519,553 were second doses, an increase of 3,161 on figures released the previous day. The seven-day rolling average of first doses given in the UK is now 433,728.

Mr Johnson said he was not issuing the call for people to come forward for their jabs so that the Government could "hit some nummerical target" but because the vaccine rollout will "save lives, prevent serious illness and so the whole country can take another step in the long and hard road back to normality."

He added that he will be speaking further about the UK's roadmap out of the nation-wide lockdown in the week of February 22.

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