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Good afternoon and welcome to Downing Street for today鈥檚 coronavirus briefing.

I鈥檓 joined by Professor Jonathan Van Tam, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, and Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at Public Health England.

I鈥檝e got some fantastic news to bring you today on the success of the vaccination rollout and the protection that it鈥檚 bringing right across the United Kingdom right now.

Yesterday, we delivered 529,119 vaccinations. More than half a million.

And that means that today, exactly 100 days since Margaret Keenan got the first authorised jab in the whole world, we have now vaccinated over 25 million people across the United Kingdom.

It鈥檚 been such a national mission. One of the biggest logistical exercises since the war. And I鈥檝e had the honour of playing my part, we鈥檝e had the honour of playing our parts 鈥� it鈥檚 been a huge team effort.

And I鈥檝e got absolutely no doubt it鈥檚 the best project I鈥檝e ever been involved in. And I want to say a huge thank you to everybody who leant in and has done so much to put this country in the position we are in where we鈥檝e been able to vaccinate almost half of the adult population, 25 million people.

It鈥檚 nothing any of us who鈥檝e been involved in it from the start will ever forget. But what really matters is why this is making a difference.

And we have some very exciting information for you today about the real-world impact the vaccination programme is having.

I鈥檝e just got one slide today.

This slide shows over time the increase in the proportion of people who actually have COVID-19 antibodies 鈥� those are the antibodies that are so crucial to the bodies鈥� ability to fight the disease.

This chart isn鈥檛 measuring how many vaccines have been done. It鈥檚 actually measuring the proportion of people who actually have COVID-fighting antibodies swimming around in their bloodstream.

This chart represents the fact the vaccine is giving the country protection. As you can see it runs up to the start of March and it shows around 90 per cent of people aged around 70 and above had these antibodies and it has continued to expand further in the 2 weeks or so since then.

皇冠体育app chart explains why deaths from COVID in this country are now thankfully falling so fast, down by more than a third last week again.

皇冠体育app vaccine is saving thousands of lives right now here in the UK, and can give us all hope. And professor Van Tam is going to say a little more about this and the safety details in a second. And it underlines why it鈥檚 so important that when you get the call, get the jab.

I find this data really compelling. And to anybody who still has concerns, or any doubt about getting the jab, we know that the vaccine is safe and helps make you safe. It gives you this protection. And Dr Mary Ramsay is with us because she鈥檚 going to set out details on a publication that Public Health England have just released with more evidence of the impact of this vaccine 鈥� to show what this protection looks like.

It shows that after a single dose of the vaccine 鈥� either vaccine 鈥� protection against getting COVID-19 is around 60 per cent. That鈥檚 protection against getting it.

It shows protection against hospitalisation is around 80 per cent and protection against death is around 85 per cent.

One of the other interesting facts that is really important is that the vaccine offers protection to you, but also offers protection to those around you.

皇冠体育app data shows that if you live with someone who鈥檚 been vaccinated, you have a 30 per cent lower risk of catching COVID-19 yourself.

This is the first data that directly measures the impact of the vaccine on reducing transmission. And it shows that the vaccines are saving lives.

Both vaccines being rolled out in the UK are not just safe but they make you safe. 皇冠体育appy鈥檙e saving lives and protecting people.

And because we鈥檙e rolling out this vaccine so fast, and because we鈥檝e protected so many people so quickly, we鈥檙e now able to extend the offer of a vaccination to yet more people.

All people aged 50 and above are, from today, invited to come forward and get a jab.

皇冠体育app NHS will contact you, and today, we鈥檙e sending over 2 million texts and letters and invitations to get vaccinated.

Anyone aged 50 and over can now sign up on the or call 119.

We鈥檙e on track to offer a first dose to everyone in priority groups 1 to 9 by 15 April. While we deliver on that commitment we also want to ensure this offer reaches everyone in groups 1 to 9.

So at the same time as opening up vaccinations to all those that are 50 and above we are going to do whatever it takes to reach all those in the most vulnerable groups who haven鈥檛 come forward yet before we move onto the next cohort of people in their 40s.

My message to our huge team of vaccinators is: let鈥檚 keep getting the numbers through the doors.

But it鈥檚 absolutely critical that we reach out and loop back and we invite in yet again all those who are in vulnerable groups who haven鈥檛 yet been vaccinated. I want to get those percentages of people in vulnerable groups right up, reaching every last vulnerable person 鈥� and it is worth the extra effort. We鈥檒l do that before we move on to people in their 40s.

I鈥檓 42, and I鈥檓 as eager as anyone to get the jab. But before we forge ahead I want us to be confident that we鈥檝e done everything we can to protect those most in need of protection.

And we will do all we can, and do everything necessary, to secure the supplies that are contractually committed to protecting people in this country.

We鈥檙e moving in the right direction thanks to everybody following the rules that are keeping us safe now and coming forward to get a jab that will keep us safe for the future.

But now is not the time to waver. We鈥檙e on the road to recovery. 皇冠体育app vaccine is our way out. We are on track.

So let鈥檚 stick with it, follow the rules, and when you get the call, get the jab.