Half the UK population has had the first Covid jab and more than 12 million are now fully vaccinated. The milestone was reached as the number of people who had received their first jab hit 33,508,590, among a total official population of 66,796,807.
A further 119,953 first doses were given on Friday, while 448,139 people received their second injection. It means 12,071,810 people have now been fully immunised with two injections.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was “absolutely delighted” we had reached the “brilliant” milestone, and added: “This vaccination programme is our way out of this pandemic.
It’s clearly saving lives.” Get the information that matters With so much changing so quickly, keep on top of what is happening