More than 20 million people in the UK have now received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, the health secretary said.
Matt Hancock posted a video on his Twitter account with the announcement, thanking ‘every person who came forward to get a jab’.
He said: ‘I’m absolutely delighted that more than 20 million people in the UK have now been vaccinated – that’s absolutely fantastic.
“I want to thank every person who came forward to get the jab, because we know with increasing confidence that the jab protects you, it protects your community and it is also the way out of it all for all of us.”
Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi also celebrated the news, tweeting: “BINGO! One count more than 20,000,000 people had the vaccination (first dose). What an achievement for February 2021. What a team! Proud to be with you on this journey. ”
The figure for the number of people who received their first dose of vaccine on Saturday was 19.6 million.
NHS England said another two million people, aged between 60 and 63, were on the verge of receiving invitations to be vaccinated.
This next group starts getting letters starting Monday in which they explain how they can make an appointment to get a jab.
Professor Stephen Powis, the national medical director of the NHS, said: ‘The NHS vaccination program, the largest in the history of the health service and the fastest in Europe, is going from strength to strength.
‘I would like to thank my colleagues in the NHS, along with all the volunteers and others working on the program, for their hard work that has given more than 17 million jabs within a few weeks.
‘I would like to appeal to everyone who has been invited to accept the offer. It does not matter when you are invited.