Forex Trading For Beginners 2021: Covid: Nearly 2m people got first Covid vaccine in last week

Sheila Evans receives an injection of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine at the Al Abbas Mosque, Birmingham

Nearly two million people in the UK have received their first dose of a Covid vaccine in the past week, government figures show.

By the end of Tuesday 4.61 million people had received their initial jab, up from 2.64 million the week before.

The government is aiming to offer a vaccine to all over 70s, the extremely clinical vulnerable and health and care workers by mid-February.

Matt Hancock told MPs: "We're giving 200 vaccinations every minute".

Sixty-five new vaccination centres are due to open in England on Thursday, including a mosque in Birmingham and a cinema in Aylesbury.

It comes after scientists warned of "immense pressure" on the NHS after a study showed a rise in infections in the community at the start of the latest lockdown in England.

One in 10 major hospital trusts had no spare adult critical care beds last week, NHS England figures show.

The UK recorded another all-time high of daily coronavirus deaths on Wednesday. A further 1,820 people died within 28 days of a positive Covid test, according to government figures - taking the total number of deaths by that measure to 93,290.

The health secretary told MPs on Thursday that more than five million doses had been given to 4.6 million patients and said the country had an "immense infrastructure in place that day by day is protecting the vulnerable and giving hope to us all".

'Huge endeavour'

In a statement to the Commons he described this as a "huge feat", saying the government is making "good progress" on its target to vaccinate the top four priority groups by mid-February.

He said: "This virus is a lethal threat to us all and as we respond through this huge endeavour let's all take comfort in the fact we're giving 200 vaccinations every minute, but in the meantime everyone, everyone must follow the rules to protect the NHS and save lives."

Asked about difficulties in getting vaccines to rural areas and whether the Oxford-AstraZeneca could be prioritised for these as it is easier to store, Mr Hancock said the challenge was that supply was "lumpy", with manufacturers working "as fast as possible".

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said new variants of the virus "remind us we have to go further and faster on vaccination, and work harder to break admission chains" and asked if there was a contingency plan in place if vaccines needed to be redesigned to contain mutations.

Mr Hancock said he was "glad to say that the early indications are that the new variant is dealt with by the vaccine just as much as the old variant, but of course we are vigilant to the new variants that we're seeing overseas".

He also said that 63% of residents in elderly care homes had now received a vaccine.

Former Conservative health secretary Jeremy Hunt, who is now chairman of the Common's Health Select Committee, asked about establishing "quarantine hotels" to combat new strains, as well as whether there should be further restrictions on household mixing outside bubbles and mandating FFP2 masks in shops and on public transport.

Mr Hancock said the clinical advice was that the current guidelines on personal protective equipment (PPE) were "right and appropriate" and said "very significant measures" had been brought in for international travel.

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In Northern Ireland more than 160,000 people have received a first vaccine dose, while in Wales, where more than 175,000 people have received a jab, people waiting for theirs have been urged to show "patience" and "perspective".

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon insisted her country's vaccine programme was not lagging behind, during First Minister's Questions on Wednesday.

In England the rollout of the vaccine started with people aged 80 and over. In some regions where the majority of these have been vaccinated, the programmes are now moving on to the over 70s.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said ministers were working to ensure police and other front-line workers are moved up the priority list, while Education Secretary Gavin Williamson told BBC Breakfast he hoped teachers and support staff could be moved up the list.

Meanwhile, pumps and sandbags were brought in to protect supplies of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from the risk of flood water at a warehouse in Wrexham, north-east Wales.

Young people in Wales have been asked to share their experiences of the pandemic in a survey by the nation's Children's Commissioner.