The United Kingdom has crossed the mark of 20 million people fully vaccinated against Covid-19, or nearly 40% of the adult population, on the eve of a major stage of deconfinement, according to official figures released on Sunday.
Read also: Covid-19: the spread of the Indian variant in the United Kingdom worries Europe
In detail, 20,103,658 people have received two doses of vaccine since the launch of the vaccination campaign in early December, one of the most advanced in the world, and 36,573,354 have received a single injection.
The goal is to administer a first dose to all adults by the end of July.
"Receiving a second dose is essential to ensure that you have optimal protection against this deadly virus
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said Health Minister Matt Hancock in a statement.
The British government has made mass vaccination of the population a flagship measure of its strategy to exit the health crisis after long months of confinement in the United Kingdom, the most bereaved country in Europe with nearly 128,000 dead.
After the reopening of terraces and non-essential shops in April, England is preparing on Monday to reopen indoor pubs and restaurants, cultural venues, hotels and stadiums with a capacity limited to 10,000 spectators maximum.
This picture is, however, clouded by local outbreaks of the Indian variant, in the north-west of England and in London, which, according to the executive, could compromise the final phase of deconfinement, scheduled for June 21 with the lifting of almost all restrictions.
To counter its spread, the interval between the two doses of the vaccine has been reduced to eight weeks, instead of the current three, for people over 50 and the most vulnerable.
According to a study by the English public health agency (PHE), cited by the government, the vaccination prevented 11,700 deaths and 33,000 hospitalizations in England until the end of April.