VACCINE PROGRAMME DELIVERED BY THE COMMUNITY

Mr Zahawi said: "Our vaccination programme has been delivered in the community, by the community, and for the community."

ZAHAWI ANNOUNCES LONDON SUMMIT TO BOOST VACCINE UPTAKE IN CAPITAL

He said there were “hard yards” on the road to recovery still and more people still had to come forward to take the vaccine.

He said London had lower numbers for first doses and a London summit would bring together experts and community leaders in the capital to “boost that crucial uptake” in the weeks leading yup to the end of social restrictions.

ZAHAWI: THE VACCINE WILL PROTECT EVERYONE YOU CARE ABOUT

Mr Zahawi pleaded with the public to get their vaccines.

"It will help protect you and your family, your friends and everyone you care about."

SIX APPOINTMENT BOOKED EVERY SECOND IN FIRST TWO DAYS OF OVER-18 AGE GROUP, SAYS ZAHAWI

Mr Zahawi says almost half of 25 to 29-year-olds in England have now had their first dose.

Six jab appointments were booked every second in the first two days after vaccines were opened up to over-18s, he says.

ZAHAWI: FEWER THAN ONE IN TEN IN HOSPITAL WITH DELTA VARIANT HAVE HAD BOTH JABS

The minister said fewer than one in ten people in hospital with the Delta variant have had both jabs which showed the importance of people getting vaccinated.

He said the four week delay to re-open would allow the NHS “time” to get more people jabbed.

SIX IN 10 UK ADULTS FULLY VACCINATED AGAINST COVID-19, FIGURES SHOW

Six in 10 adults in the UK are estimated to have received both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, latest figures show.

A total of 31,740,115 second doses have now been delivered since the vaccination rollout began in December last year.

This is the equivalent of 60.3% of all people aged 18 and over.

Of the four nations of the UK, Wales has the highest proportion of adults fully vaccinated, with 61.6% having received both jabs (1,553,091 second doses).

England is just behind on 60.4% (26,745,666 second doses), followed by Scotland on 59.0% (2,617,450) and Northern Ireland on 56.7% (823,908 second doses).

40 YEAR OLDS CAN GET SECOND JAB EARLY, SAYS VACCINE MINISTER

There's been big uptake so far, said Mr Zahawi.

9 in 10 people have either taken vaccine or want to take the vaccine, said Mr Zahawi.

We got here because we actively went out to have two weay conversations with people, he continued.

ZAHAWI: MISSION IS TO GET AS MANY PEOPLE VACCINATED AS POSSIBLE IN FOUR WEEK FREEDOM DELAY

The mission now is to protect as many people as possible and to get them vaccinated as quick as possible.

We will use the four week delay to get remaining jabs in arms of people who need them.

THREE IN FIVE ADULTS NOW HAVE HAD BOTH JABS ACCORDING TO VACCINES MINISTER

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said three in five adults have had both jabs as part of the vaccine roll-out.

He said six appointments were booked every second when the vaccine programme was rolled out to younger people recently.

He said the vaccines remained “our way out of this pandemic”.

ZAHAWI: VACCINATION PROGRAM IS WORKING

The latest data show Vaccine program has saved 14,000 lives.

It also has prevented 44,500 hospitalisations in England alone in the last two weeks.

"It is our way out of the pandemic", Mr Zahawi says.

ZAHAWI: THRILLED WITH YOUNG PEOPLE COMING FORWARD

The vaccines mininster ios pleased with the enthusiasm of young people.

Nearly half of all 20-25 year olds have had a jab.

One third of people aged 18 -24 have had their first dose, he confirmed.

ZAHAWI: WE'VE COME A LONG WAY IN SIX MONTHS

Since the first vaccine was given, 82% of adults have had a first dose of the vaccine.

That's 3 in 5 of all adults getting protection of second dose.

Any adult in the UK can book a first dose.

PRESS CONFERENCER BEGINS

Nadhim Zahawi is leading today's conference on vaccine uptake.

He is joined by Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at Public Health England, and Dr Nikki Kanani, Medical Director of Primary Care at NHS England.

COVID VACCINE BOSS TO GIVE PRESS CONFERENCE SOON

Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi will lead a Covid press conference at 5pm today to urge remaining Brits to get jabbed.

The Government is rallying un-vaccinated adults to book their slots to give Boris Johnson the best chance of ending lockdown on July 19.

This evening's briefing comes ahead of a crunch announcement on Monday when Boris Johnson will decide whether to unlock early on July 5.

UK COVID CASES SURGE TO 16,135 IN HIGHEST RISE IN ALMOST 5 MONTHS

Covid cases in the UK today jumped by 16,135 - the highest number of new infections in almost five months.

The total number of cases since the pandemic began now stands at 4,667,870.

Today's rise in infections is the highest number of daily cases since February 6 when 18,262 were reported.

It is also higher than yesterday's figure of 11,625 as the Delta variant continues to grip the UK.

Deaths also rose by 19 - bringing the total to 128,027 - which is lower than yesterday's 27 fatalities.

VACCINE SIDE EFFECTS

Covid vaccines are essential to beat the virus, but it is within your best interests to monitor any possible side effects.

These side effects are mostly nothing to worry about but can cause discomfort.

Experts have found that rashes and itching in another spot other than the injection site was the most common side effect.

Read more here

COVID VACCINES LINKED TO UNCOMFORTABLE SKIN REACTIONS

Covid vaccines are essential to beat the virus - but reports show they also come with side effects.

These are mostly nothing to be concerned about, but can cause discomfort.

A study by allergists at Massachusetts General Hospital found almost two per cent of 49,197 who were jabbed reported skin reactions.

Others suffered from swelling or angioedema, which is the swelling of areas of tissue under the skin, sometimes affecting the face and throat.

Kimberly G. Blumenthal, MD, MSc, co-director of the Clinical Epidemiology Program, said: "This is the first information we have on risk of recurrence of skin reactions after dose 2 when there is a dose 1 reaction. 

"Our findings could provide critical reassurance to people with rashes, hives and swelling after dose 1 of their mRNA vaccines."

SCHOOL SPORTS DAY GETS GOVERNMENT GREEN LIGHT AFTER FOOTBALL BACKLASH

Downing Street have said school sports days are allowed to go ahead, after backlash over plans to allow more than 60,000 fans into Wembley Stadium for the European Championship at the same time as lockdown restrictions continue for the public.

Reports suggested that some schools had cancelled sports days and children who are at very low risk of Covid-19 are still being sent home as pandemic restrictions continued.

And the Government was accused of allowing one rule for one and one rule for another, by allowing more fans into Wembley.

But the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "Outdoor events like sports days can go ahead in line with existing restrictions, such as maintaining class or year group bubbles, and regular cleaning of sports equipment.

"It's also worth saying that it's up to schools to risk assess their sports day plans and decide if it's appropriate to invite spectators. It would be possible for spectators in groups of 30 to attend. So depending on the size of the area, multiple groups of 30 could attend events, as long as there's no mixing between those groups."

41 CASES OF NEW 'DELTA PLUS' VARIANT FOUND IN BRITAIN

The latest coronavirus “delta plus” variant has already infected at least 41 people in the UK, according to Public Health England figures.

Indian authorities today said the new variant, formally known as AY.1, was of concern and sweeping across the country.

It remains unknown if it is more dangerous than the original strain.

The Government said PHE had already put extra measures in place where the variant had been detected including "enhanced contact tracing, testing, and isolation".

SCIENTISTS SAY TOO EARLY TO TELL TRUE RISK OF DELTA PLUS VARIANT

India calls the new variant a "variant of concern", however it's too early to tell whether it poses enough threat.

India's health ministry says studies showed that the so-called Delta plus variant - also known as AY.1 - spreads more easily, binds more easily to lung cells and is potentially resistant to monoclonal antibody therapy, a potent intravenous infusion of antibodies to neutralise the virus.

"There is no data yet to support the variant of concern claim," said Dr Gagandeep Kang, a virologist and the first Indian woman to be elected Fellow of the Royal Society of London.

"You need biological and clinical information in order to consider whether it is truly a variant of concern."

DEPUTY CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, JONATHAN VAN-TAM IS ACCUSED OF GENOCIDE BY ANTIVAXXER

This is the appalling moment an antivaxxer abuses Jonathan Van-Tam and accuses him of genocide.

Geza Tarjanyi, 60, filmed himself hurling abuse at Van-Tam in Westminster yesterday, before sharing the shocking footage on Facebook.

Tarjanyi asked: "What was really in that needle you put into Matt Hancock?", referring to the Health Secretary's vaccination in April.

Tarjanyi films Professor Van-Tam as he approaches him before saying: "Are you Van-Tam, aren't ya?

"This country's supposed to be in the worst pandemic of all time."

Professor Van-Tam then calmly replied: "It is."

Read the full story here

JOIN THE MILLIONS ALREADY VACCINATED, NHS PLEADS

The Covid-19 vaccine is safe and effective and will give you the best protection against the coronavirus and the Delta variant.

SHOCKING STUDY CLAIMS CHINA DELETED COVID DATA TO COVER UP 'PATIENT ZERO' DUE LAB LEAK PRESSURE

Appalling new claims have emerged that China deleted information about the origins of the virus that could have provided vital clues.

The data set containing SARS-CoV-2 sequences from early in the Wuhan epidemic was deleted from the National Institute of Health‘s Sequence Read Archive, according to the papers that came out today.

“I recover the deleted files from the Google Cloud, and reconstruct partial sequences of 13 early epidemic viruses,” Prof Boom writes in the abstract of the report.

Boom concluded that there is no plausible reason for the missing files that were deleted and the most likely explanation is that China deleted the material to “obscure their existence”.

“The fact that such an informative data set was deleted has implications beyond those gleaned directly from the recovered sequences. Samples from early outpatients in Wuhan are a gold mine for anyone seeking to understand the spread of the virus,” he wrote.

Read the full story here

LOCKDOWN LIFT WILL DEPEND ON FOUR KEY FACTORS

There are four key numbers behind the wait to unlock Britain - with experts and ministers convinced it could be scheduled for July 5.

Vaccine reach, hospitalisations, new variant and rising cases are what everyone is keeping their eyes on.

Professor Neil Ferguson, nicknamed Professor Lockdown, thinks the data looks "encouraging".

Asked whether restrictions should end on July 5, he said: "I’m busy analysing the data to provide a more conclusive picture to government to make that decision, but the overall picture is encouraging."

He added: "As we expected, we are seeing rises in case numbers across the country, but they have slowed slightly compared with a couple of weeks ago.

"We’re also seeing rises in hospitalisations and deaths but again they’re at a much lower level than previously, demonstrating the high effectiveness of vaccines."

ALL THE RULES THAT COULD CHANGE ON FREEDOM DAY, JULY 19 - FROM FACE MASKS TO NIGHTCLUBS

From face masks and social distancing to nightclubs and the Rule of Six, the Covid rules are set to change on July 19.

The UK is said to be on track to lift all current restrictions for Freedom Day as ministers are encouraged by "very, very" low death numbers and a slowdown in infections.

A senior Government source told the newspaper that ministers want to "get as close to normal as possible" on July 19.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson had previously hoped to lift all the Covid restrictions on June 21.

The wearing of face masks is no longer expected to be compulsory in certain spaces, and laws will be replaced with advice for wearing them.