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All UK adults should be offered the first dose of a COVID vaccine by September, in the hope that some restrictions can be lifted in March, Dominic Raab told Sky News.
Speaking at Sophy Ridge on Sunday, the Foreign Secretary said: “Our goal is that by September we have offered the entire adult population a first dose, if we can do it faster than that, but that’s the roadmap.”
The objective is more specific than that of the government. COVID-19 vaccine delivery plan, released a week ago, which said the level of protection should be provided “by the fall.”
The foreign secretary declined to guarantee that everyone will receive their second dose of vaccine within 12 weeks.
He only said that the government “should be able to comply with that.”
More than 3.5 million people in the UK have received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, with 324,000 doses administered in the space of 24 hours.
Raab also said he hoped that some restrictions could be lifted “gradually” by March so that the country can “get back to normal.”
“What we want to do is get out of these national blockades as soon as possible, the roadmap I outlined is that by early spring, hopefully by March, we will be in a position to make those decisions,” he said.
“I think it is correct to say that we will not do everything in one big bang; as we come out of the national lockdown, I think we will gradually end through the tiered approach.
“We want to make sure we can do it in a safe way, but again, we have to, right now, really focus on protecting the NHS and launching the vaccine.
“If we do those two things, we’ll get to a much better place in early spring.”
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PM suspends travel without quarantine in the UK
He said the things that put him “at risk” are the new variants and the pressure on the NHS, as he urged people to follow the rules.
A total of 1,295 deaths were reported Saturday within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test, the third-highest daily total in the pandemic.
But the total number of new cases, 41,346, was the lowest number of the year so far.
This will be seen as an indicator that the current lockdown is having an effect, but scientists believe that the peak in deaths will come later.
The foreign secretary refused to rule out the possibility of special “quarantine hotels” for people entering the country.
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‘Younger and sicker COVID patients’
It comes after The Sunday Times reported that officials have been told to prepare for the creation of such facilities for those arriving in Britain.
Mr. Raab said: “We have considered all the possibilities.”
He added: “We will consider all measures in the round.”
The foreign secretary said the government will “tighten” the enforcement of international travel restrictions with more controls at the border and greater capacity to make sure people isolate themselves.
He added that given the current situation, people should not go on vacation and “it is not appropriate.”
