Vaccinations in the capital have hit a new milestone.
The UK’s vaccination effort is building nicely, with over 9.2 million people now having received at least their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. London hit its own milestone this week too, with one million doses of the vaccine have now been administered within the capital, as Mayor of London Sadiq Khan revealed on Twitter earlier today:
This is fantastic news. More than 1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in London.
This major milestone is thanks to the fantastic NHS staff, volunteers and venues who have all worked tirelessly to deliver these life-saving vaccinations.
— Mayor of London (gov.uk/coronavirus) (@MayorofLondon) February 2, 2021
Vaccinations have been issued at hospitals and pharmacies across London, and also at the mass vaccination hub at NHS Nightingale in East London. Still, the milestone doesn’t mean the battle to contain the virus is over, nor does it mean that one million Londoners are fully protected; only a handful of those are likely to be second doses, which offer a greater protection. Nevertheless, it does mean that around 10% of Londoners have at least some form of protection against the virus, which is a huge step forward towards life returning to normality.
The news comes as coronavirus cases in the capital continue to fall; the latest figures indicate that active cases have halved across the capital in the previous twelve days. It’s a sign that the hard work most Londoners are doing to get the virus under control is working, although the overall number of hospitalisations in the capital still remains high. As always, it’s a case of mask on, stay home, and social distance until the lockdown is relaxed.