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Coronavirus: UK hits mid-February vaccination target, discusses vaccine proof for travellers to other countries

Published: 12:47 15 Feb 2021 GMT

vaccine

The UK started the week on a positive note after reaching its vaccination target set for mid-February.

Health authorities offered the first dose of a COVID-19 jab to all 15mln people in the first four priority groups, so it has now moved to the second phase of the rollout, involving those aged over 65 and the clinically vulnerable.

Over 90% of the over-70s accepted the vaccine, but the uptake was lower among other groups, with two-thirds of care workers and four-fifths of NHS staff receiving the inoculation.

There are concerns over ethnic minorities, with health secretary Matt Hancock telling Sky News improving the take-up rate is a priority for the government.

According to a study, 37% of black staff was administered the jab compared to 71% of white staff in a pool of 19,000 workers at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.

The next target is to reach 17mln people by the end of April while distributing the second dose to those who have already received the first within the 12-week window.

Lockdown pressure

As a result, Boris Johnson is under pressure by some fellow Conservatives who are asking to ease lockdown measures faster than planned.

A group of 63 MPs said there is “no justification” for not lifting all restrictions if the April target is met, Bloomberg reported.

The number of deaths is falling, but Hancock said it is too early to say whether it’s because of the vaccination programme.

"It is too early to be able to measure the direct impact but of course we are looking at that and we can see overall that the number of cases is coming down sharply, the number in hospitals is coming down but it is still too high - at the latest count there were 23,000 people in hospital with COVID," he told Sky News.

Johnson is set to announce a roadmap out of lockdown next Monday while schools could reopen as early as March 8.

"The question is a judgment of how quickly and how safely - that's the judgment we will be making this week, looking at the data ahead of the prime minister setting out the road map on February 22, a week from today,” Hancock said.

Travelling safely

The government is also discussing with other countries on measures to verify whether passengers have received a COVID-19 jab before travelling.

The UK would not require ‘vaccine proof’ for entry but outbound travellers may have to provide certification for other countries.

“In that case it will be important for people from the U.K. to be able to show whether or not they have been vaccinated in order to travel,” Hancock told Sky News on Monday.

“We are working with countries around the world on the basis for this and how that vaccine certification can happen in a way that is assured.”

As of Monday, travellers coming to the UK from 33 countries deemed high risk have to quarantine in hotels for ten days at their own expense.

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