Matt Hancock reveals more than NINE MILLION Britons have now been vaccinated

Matt Hancock reveals more than NINE MILLION Britons have now been vaccinated after more than 930,000 people get their jab over the weekend – and half of the over-70s have received their first dose

  • Some 322,000 Covid jabs on Sunday, taking total to 9.3million people in UK
  • Those who had received a first dose included more than half of the over-70s
  • Britain today recorded the fewest daily coronavirus deaths since December

Britain has now vaccinated more than nine million people after just shy of a million people received the jab at the weekend, Matt Hancock revealed tonight.

The Health Secretary said those who had received a first dose of the life-saving drug included more than half of the over-70s, plus nine in 10 of the over-80s.

It came as Britain today recorded the fewest daily coronavirus deaths since December, with 406 more victims as the second wave continues to decline.

Department of Health figures also show cases are continuing to fall, hitting a seven-week low of 18,607 positive tests. 

Government data also revealed another 322,000 Covid vaccines were dished out on Sunday, meaning 9.3million Britons have now received their first dose. 

No10 promised to vaccinate 13.9million of the most vulnerable by mid-February, in order to begin easing lockdown restrictions.

Mr Hancock said that the UK has now ordered another 40 million vaccine doses from Valneva, adding that the UK is continuing with its ‘no regrets’ attitude to backing vaccines that have yet to be approved.

The Health Secretary said those who had received a first dose of the life-saving drug included more than half of the over-70s, plus nine in 10 of the over-80s

No10 promised to vaccinate 13.9million of the most vulnerable by mid-February, in order to begin easing lockdown restrictions.

No10 promised to vaccinate 13.9million of the most vulnerable by mid-February, in order to begin easing lockdown restrictions.

He said that if it gains approval, the Valneva vaccine will be manufactured in Livingston in Scotland.

Fronting the Downing Street press conference tonight Mr Hancock said: ‘We have visited every single care home with older residents in England and offered vaccinations to all of their residents and staff – this has been an incredible example of health and social care working together.’

It came as door-to-door coronavirus testing was launched across eight parts of England where it is feared the South African variant causing panic around the world is spreading in the community.

In a desperate attempt to keep track of the mutated virus that experts fear could hamper the current crop of vaccines, health officials will join forces with local police and firefighters to visit homes in Woking in Surrey, Walsall in the West Midlands, as well as parts of London, Kent, Hertfordshire and Lancashire, to offer residents a swab.

Mr Hancock said tonight people in those areas must take ‘extra special precautions’ amid the threat of an outbreak of the new, highly-infectious variant. He added: ‘The stay at home message is there for everyone but in particular in those areas it’s absolutely vital that people minimise all social contact and get a test when the opportunity arises.

More than 80,000 over-16s will be targeted as part of the huge surveillance scheme and residents will be asked to take a test regardless of whether or not they have symptoms. Mr Hancock said it was ‘imperative’ that people in these areas stay at home and get a test when it is offered to them.

As well as knocking on doors and asking residents to take tests there and then, extra mobile swabbing units will be deployed to all eight postcodes and home testing kits will be available to order online for residents to do themselves.

Public Health England has already spotted 105 cases of the ‘B.1.351’ South African variant since December 22, including at least 11 people — scattered across the eight areas receiving extra testing — who were struck down with the virus but had no history of international travel.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has renewed calls for the Government to start vaccinating teachers and school staff once the rollout of the jab to the most vulnerable groups is complete.

Speaking during a visit to south London he said: “The reason for that is not because teachers and school staff are more at risk. It is because of the disruption that will be caused to schools if they are not vaccinated.

“What we saw in the autumn was schools being open but actually being highly disrupted because children are in one week and out the next week.

“That cannot be our ambition for March 8. So this is to make the get-back-to-school real and workable.”