Matt Hancock outlines details of UK vaccine delivery plan
“I care about vaccines because I want our country to get back to normal as fast as possible. “I want us to have that great British summer,” the Health Secretary said at a Downing Street news conference. But he also joined Boris Johnson in warning that a tighter lockdown could be imposed if people fail to follow the Government’s rules.
Figures yesterday showed more than 2.6million vaccine doses have been administered across the UK so far.
Around 400,000 people aged in their 80s have now received the two doses needed to give around 90 percent immunity to the disease.
And to further step up the effort, the Health Secretary yesterday published a Government vaccines delivery plan pledging to deliver two million jabs a day by the end of the month.
“I am determined, as I have been for almost a year now, to drive this vaccination programme as fast as is safely possible.
“I’m determined to ensure every adult in this country has the chance to be vaccinated and that as many as possible take up that chance to be vaccinated,” he said.
Matt Hancock wants a great British summer (Image: Getty)
Matt Hancock (Image: PA)
Mr Hancock’s plan said virtually everyone in the UK will be no further than 10 miles from a vaccination centre by the end of the month with mobile units serving the remotest rural areas.
By that point, 50 mass vaccination centres and 1,200 local vaccination facilities will be operating as well as vaccine sites at more than 200 NHS hospitals.
Mr Hancock also pleaded with the public to follow coronavirus rules and reduce all social contact that is not “absolutely” necessary.
“The NHS, more than ever before, needs everybody to be doing something right now – and that something is to follow the rules.
“I know there has been speculation about more restrictions, and we don’t rule out taking further action if it is needed, but it is your actions now that can make a difference.
Boris Johnson visits Bristol Covid-19 Vaccination centre (Image: Andrew Parsons/No 10 Downing Street)
“Stay at home, and please reduce all social contact that is not absolutely strictly necessary. That’s what is needed: act like you have the virus,” the Health Secretary said.
Tougher restrictions could include ending the current right to exercise outdoors with one other person, the Health Secretary indicated last night.
“If there are too many people breaking this rule then we are going to have to look at it,” he said following reports that some people were abusing the guideline to socialise with others.
Mr Johnson yesterday threatened to tighten the coronavirus lockdown to tackle the “false complacency” among many Britons about the risk of spreading the disease.
“Now is the moment for maximum vigilance, maximum observance of the rules.
“Of course, if we feel that things are not being properly observed then we may have to do more,” the Prime Minister said.
Touring a new mass vaccination centre at Bristol City’s Ashton Gate stadium, the Prime Minister said: “This is a very perilous moment because everybody can sense that the vaccine is coming in and they can see that the UK is vaccinating large numbers of those that need it most.”
He and his Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty were worried that “this is the moment when that degree of false confidence, false complacency, and that when you look at what has happened in the NHS that complacency is not merited.”
Mr Johnson said: “More important than us just pushing out new rules, people have got to follow the guidance.
“In supermarkets, people need to be keeping their differences, making sure that they’re wearing masks, doing the right thing.
“We need to enforce the rules in supermarkets. When people are getting takeaway drinks, in cafes, then they need to avoid spreading the disease there, avoid mingling too much.”
Mr Johnson insisted he would prefer people to follow the existing rules rather than have to introduce new lockdown measures.
“Far, far better for people to obey the rules that we have than simply to promulgate new rules,” he said.
“Everybody should be asking themselves whether they need to be leaving home, whether they need to be doing something that could actually end up spreading the disease.”
He added: “We cannot be complacent. The worst thing now would be for us to allow the success in rolling out a vaccine programme to breed any kind of complacency about the state of the pandemic.”
Mr Johnson said that the rules will be kept under review.
“Where we have to tighten them, we will.
“We have rules in place already which, if they are properly followed, we believe can make a huge, huge difference.
“It’s now that people need to focus when they’re out shopping, whether they’re buying cups of coffee in the park or whatever it happens to be, they need to think about spreading the disease,” he said.
Mark Harper, the chairman of the Covid Recovery Group of Tory MPs, last night welcomed the “progress” in rolling out the vaccine while warning of the “immense harm” caused by the lockdown.
“The Government must urgently set out exactly how today’s progress begins to translate into a return to normal life for us all and show a clear exit strategy – a route back to freedom,” he said.
“For people to have hope, they need to know exactly how and when the Government will lift restrictions and when our freedoms, economy and health prospects will be fully restored.”
An exclusive poll for Express.co.uk yesterday found more than half of respondents would back the introduction of new measures.
The poll showed 56 percent (1,463 people) thought Mr Johnson should trigger even stricter coronavirus rules to tackle the pandemic.
It found 43 percent (1,167 people) would not support proposals to tighten the restrictions further while 1 percent (27 people) were unsure.
A total of 2,657 readers took part in the online survey which was open between 10.15am and to 3.55pm on Monday January 11, 2021.
