the uk has hit a major milestone with
more than 15 million people given their
first dose of the coronavirus vaccine
in england everyone in the top four
priority groups has now been offered a
first jab that's the day ahead
of the scheduled target the prime
minister praised a truly nationwide
effort
and said that everybody who'd
contributed from nhs staff to volunteers
should be incredibly proud the success
of the vaccination program has led to a
growing pressure for a clearer roadmap
out of lockdown and a return to some
kind of normality including from some of
mr johnson's own mps
here's our political correspondent
jonathan blake
lining up in lancashire for the
coronavirus vaccine
some of those getting their first jab
today and taking the total number to be
offered an injection to 15 million
across the uk this country has achieved
an extraordinary feat
in a video posted online the prime
minister confirmed the government had
met its target
of offering the four most vulnerable
groups in england
their first jab by mid-february it has
been a truly
national uk wide effort we've done it
together and i want to thank each and
every person who has helped
make it happen you can be incredibly
proud of the part
you've played with vaccinations in full
flow the prime minister's promised a
roadmap
out of lockdown in england a week
tomorrow the 22nd of february
the government wants schools to open to
all pupils on the 8th of march
next more outdoor recreation is likely
to be allowed
followed by more shops being able to
open and finally
hospitality my name is libby venues do
your vaccination today
but with the aim now to offer everyone
over 50 their first
jab by the end of april some argue all
legal restrictions
should end by them it's completely tied
to the rollout for vaccination program
and the fact that you're then protecting
the most vulnerable people from death
and serious disease from covid
from the fantastically successful
vaccination program the nhs is
undertaking
and in the industry's worst affected
there's an urgency to start trading soon
we think we can open very safely for
easter weekend
we understand as i said that there would
be social restrictions in place like
there were in july and we will
absolutely administer those to the
letter
and we will ensure that we've got a
responsibility for our customers
and our staff some conservative mps are
growing increasingly frustrated and want
firm commitments from the prime minister
about when restrictions will be lifted
although boris johnson can't ignore the
political pressure from his own party
the risks of opening things up too soon
seem to be weighing more heavily
and for now the watchword in government
is caution until the impact of the
vaccines
becomes clear political opponents will
be the first to accuse boris johnson of
easing restrictions
before coronavirus is contained this
lockdown has to be the final lockdown by
the way
the strategic aim is is to do everything
we can now
so we don't have to go back into our
lockdown while seizing on the success of
the vaccination programme so far
the prime minister acknowledged there
was much more work to do
the return to normal is still some way
off jonathan blake
bbc news so having reached the first
major vaccination target how does the
rollout proceed from here
and who's next in line for the jab our
science correspondent rebecca morrell
reports
from margaret keenan in december the
first person to be vaccinated
to less than 10 weeks later 15 million
people have had their first dose
so who will be vaccinated next and when
the next stage starts with 65 to 69 year
olds that's nearly
3 million people and those with
underlying health conditions an
estimated
7 million next up it's 2 million
60 to 64 year olds then the 5 million 50
to 59 year olds
that's a total of more than 17 million
people
who'll be offered vaccines by the end of
april then
for phase 2 another 21 million people
the rest of the adult population should
be vaccinated by
the autumn more than a million over 65s
have already been sent letters this
weekend
and some areas have even started
delivering jabs
it's an indication of the different
demographics
of different parts of the country
obviously certain populations will have
much higher proportions
of those people who are over 70 or who
are housebound and that will take longer
in my practice in north london we are
vaccinating already those people
over 60 and 65. people with some medical
conditions are also being invited
these include chronic lung disease down
syndrome
diabetes some cancers and morbid obesity
so how will we know if vaccination is
working
the best place to look is israel which
has inoculated
more of its population than anywhere
else in the world
and hospitalizations of those who were
vaccinated first the over 60s are
falling much faster than other groups
so when could we see an impact in the uk
in about a week's time we may
well see beginnings of an effect
in hospitalizations particularly in
older people relative to changes in
younger people
it'll be cases it's going to be a little
bit
less clear i think because vaccine
doesn't necessarily stop
mild cases in the coming weeks could
there be
any problems there will be some bumps in
supply with pfizer overhauling its
factory in belgium
new variants could also pose a problem
and booster shots might be needed to
improve immunity
levels in the uk are still high but
vaccinations should soon make a
difference
helping us map a path out of lockdown
rebecca morell
bbc news