I am not in the least surprised that Thirsk and Malton has one of the highest take up of vaccines in the country. 34.7% of people in the constituency have already had the vaccine in one of the biggest vaccination programme in British history, putting the constituency in the top 50 in the country. Nationally, the programme is averaging more than 2.5 million doses a week and the Prime Minister has set a target for the top nine priority groups to have been vaccinated by 15 April and every adult to have a vaccine by the end of July.
The NHS vaccination programme, the biggest in our country’s history, has been a fantastic success story and showcases the very best of collaboration across the entire United Kingdom. I have received many letters from constituents both impressed by the efficiency of the programme and grateful that they have been protected. I have been to several GP sites and seen for myself how well it is working and I would like to thank all the NHS staff and volunteers involved. Every day we are a little bit closer to defeating this virus because of the hundreds of thousands of jabs going into people’s arms, giving us fresh hope as we look forward to getting our lives back to normal.
Everyone in the top four priority groups has now been offered a vaccine, as invitations now go out those in priority groups 5 to 9. The latest figures now show that two thirds of those aged 65 to 69 have also now been vaccinated.
The United Kingdom is leading the way with its vaccination programme. So far, more than 18.6 million people have received a vaccine, equivalent to 1 in 3 adults. This is the third highest per capita, behind only the UAE and Israel. In addition, only two countries have administered more doses than the United Kingdom which is China and the USA.
