James Martin discusses problems getting his coronavirus vaccine

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More than 50 million individual doses of a Covid vaccine have been administered in the UK so far. According to the Government’s coronavirus dashboard, as of May 10, more than two-thirds (67.6 percent) of the adult population has received one dose of a Covid vaccine. Additionally, more than a third (34.3 percent) of the population has received their second vaccine dose.

The speed of the UK’s vaccine rollout programme has been widely cited as a success.

With swathes of the population now vaccinated, the data suggests the vaccines are working successfully.

New analysis from Public Health England (PHE) shows individuals who receive a single dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine have approximately 80 percent lower risk of death with COVID-19 compared to people who are unvaccinated.

The analysis also suggests protection against death from the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine increases from approximately 80 percent after one dose to 97 percent after two doses.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said in light of the new data: “The evidence is clear that vaccines provide significant layers of protection against this awful disease.

“People across the country can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that their risk of becoming seriously ill or hospitalised with the virus is significantly reduced after being vaccinated.”

Mr Hancock added: “When the time comes to get your jab, please join the tens of millions of people who are now benefiting from this vital protection.”

The Government is aiming to offer all adults in the UK a first vaccine dose by the end of July 2021.

Who is eligible for the Covid vaccine now?

According to the NHS website, the following people are currently eligible to book their Covid vaccinations:

• you’re aged 40 or over
• you’ll turn 40 before 1 July 2021
• you’re at high risk from COVID-19 (clinically extremely vulnerable)
• you have a condition that puts you at higher risk (clinically vulnerable)
• you have a learning disability
• you get a Carer’s Allowance, get support following an assessment by your local authority or your GP record shows you’re a carer

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The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised the government to prioritise people for the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine who are over the age of 16 and living with adults who have weakened immune systems.

This includes people with conditions including blood cancer, HIV or those on immunosuppressive treatment including chemotherapy, among other health conditions.

People aged 38 or 39 could also be able to book their Covid vaccine appointments by the end of this week, according to reports.

NHS sources told the PA news agency that people aged 38 and 39 will be able to book their Covid-19 vaccinations from Thursday morning this week in England.

The Health Secretary hinted this week the over 35’s would soon be eligible for their vaccinations.

When asked when people over the age of 35 will be vaccinated, Mr Hancock told Sky News: “Pretty soon. We have gone down to all 40s and above in the last couple of weeks.

“As you can see the numbers of vaccines are going gangbusters – with more than 600,000 on Saturday.

“The number of first vaccinations is actually rising and we are getting through all of those critical second vaccinations.

“It is really important if you have your second jab to come forward at the time you are asked to come forward.”

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