New Delhi (NVI): The UK government has opened seven mass vaccination centers today as part of efforts to roll out COVID-19 vaccine to all vulnerable people in Britain.
The government is aiming to vaccinate almost 14 million vulnerable people in England including the over-80s, care home residents and health and care staff by the middle of February, according to the reports
UK National Health Service (NHS) in a statement said that, the seven large scale vaccination sites are capable of delivering 1,000 of the life-saving jabs each week.
“Hundreds more GP-led and hospital services are also due to open this week along with the first pharmacy-led pilot sites, taking the total to around 1,200,” it added.
According to NHS, letters are sent out to 6,00,000 people aged 80 and above, who live up to a 45-minute drive from one of the new centers set up across the country, inviting them to book an appointment for vaccine jabs.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock is due to visit one of the vaccination sites, will set out the vaccines delivery plan at a Downing Street press conference today.
Earlier, Hancock said that about 2 million people in the UK had been vaccinated, with some 200,000 jabs administered in the country daily.
The UK health officials had said that a speedy mass vaccination roll out will help get Britain out of its third nationwide lockdown, which was imposed in this month to curb a surge in infections, the reports said.
So far, Britain has recorded over 81,500 deaths and over 3.08 million coronavirus cases, the Johns Hopkins University data shows.
-RJV
