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The coronavirus vaccine has been offered to everyone in the top four priority groups in the UK, the government said after meeting its initial target in launching the jab.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson had set a deadline of Monday February 15 to offer a first dose of the COVID-19 Vaccine for all nursing home residents and staff, all people over the age of 70, all NHS frontline and care staff, and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable.
After achieving that goal, the ministers have set themselves to offer the vaccine to all people over 50 years of age and all adults in risk groups, which number 32 million people, by May.
But how realistic is that goal?
More than 15 million people in the United Kingdom they have received a first dose since 8 December, making the jab launch in this country one of the fastest in the world.
Scroll down the table to see the vaccine implementation milestones so far.
Although a first dose has been offered to everyone in the four highest priority groups, what proportion of people in the oldest age groups have received the vaccine?
The table below reveals the percentage of older age groups that have received a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in different regions of the UK as of 7 February, except Northern Ireland where data is not available. .
Figures are released weekly and data for the last week has yet to be released.
The government has now set a goal of offering a first dose of the vaccine to the 32 million people in the top nine priority groups by May.
This covers all people over the age of 50 and younger people considered clinically vulnerable.
But is it likely to meet that goal? We have considered three scenarios.
The analysis above has been calculated using the most recent 14-day daily vaccination rate and assumes that people requiring a second injection receive it at 11 weeks.
But they are just a few scenarios of how the government could reach its next goal.
There are many factors that could affect the progress of the launch, some beyond the control of minters, such as the supply of vaccines.
Disruption of production or distribution could slow down the process, but the addition of Moderna’s jab, which will be introduced before spring, could boost it.
The number of vaccination centers and staff are also limiting factors, prompting Labor Sir Keir Starmer to call for jabs to be recommended. “around the clock”.
If this happens, it could speed up the process considerably.
Finally, the timing of the second dose could have a significant impact.
If people who have already received a first dose do not receive the second for 12 weeks, it will relieve pressure on supply and distribution.
Similarly, if second doses were offered at 10 weeks, this could increase demand so much that the May deadline would become problematic.
Methodology: The daily dose rate between December 30 and January 10, for which no data is available, uses average doses derived from 1.6 million total doses assumed during the same period.
