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Matt Hancock has issued a warning to Kentish residents as coronavirus cases continue to rise in the county.
The Secretary of Health advised residents to be cautious the day the vaccines began to be implemented.
Hancock was speaking in the Commons just hours after the first doses of coronavirus vaccines were administered to patients at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.
Kenneth Lamb, 80, was the first person in Kent to be vaccinated with the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine this morning (December 8)
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Despite the good news with vaccines, the current outlook in the county is bleak, with the three hardest hit areas in England in Kent.
Medway now leads Swale and Thanet to claim the unwanted title of the highest infection rate in England, which is currently 607.1 per 100,000.
The Health Secretary warned that communities must continue to comply with the restrictions.
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Matt Hancock said: “Now we can see the exit route, there is still a long march ahead.
“Let’s not screw it up now. There are worrying signs that the virus is growing in parts of Essex, London and Kent.”
“Over the next several weeks and months, we all need to follow the rules to make sure we can get through this safely.”
It comes as Swale City Council leader Roger Truelove also warned residents about complacency.
Swale had held the title of ‘England’s worst affected area’ for several weeks, but has now been replaced by Medway.
While infection rates are slowly declining, Cllr Truelove has criticized the way data is presented each week.
He compared it to a “leaderboard” and felt that Kent’s placement at Level 3 was the right decision due to the increase in hospital admissions for COVID.
His statement said: “With the promise of these vaccines, we can look forward to a better year in 2021, but we still have a very difficult winter to go through for the health of all of us and for the protection of the NHS.”
“With the zipper closed and people shopping for Christmas, it is as vital as ever to observe social distancing and wear face covers when around each other.
(Image: Swale Town Hall)
“Complying with a vaccine program will be a challenge for the government and we will need patience.
“Just as we have had to be patient with the introduction of massive tests for asymptomatic carriers.
“We have been pushing for this for weeks, but it is in the hands of KCC, as our public health authority, and it requires careful logistical planning with the military.
“I hope the program starts in the very near future.”
He also said it was “inappropriate” to focus on infection levels in the northern part of the county.
“I think it’s right that all Kent is on the same level,” he continued.
“It is inappropriate to focus so persistently on infection levels in some districts of North Kent.
“The essential consideration is the impact on our general hospitals of Kent’s total infection rates, and the impact is increasingly critical.
“Data on infection rates are starting to show a slowdown at Swale and reports that it is declining.
“It’s not a leaderboard, and I’m sure everyone at Swale resents some articles in the media trying to blame us and Thanet for the tier restrictions across Kent.”
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