UK PM Boris Johnson hails efforts as over 10 million receive COVID-19 jabs

Britain has now administered the coronavirus vaccine on more than 10 million people. According to the official figures, a total of 374,756 people received a jab on Tuesday, February 2, taking the total to 10.02 million. If this continues at the same pace, then the UK will be able to provide a vaccine to 15 million people by mid-February. The toll is expected to reach 17 million by early April. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed the vaccination effort also said it was too early to relax as the level of infection is still "alarmingly high". 

During a live session, Boris Johnson praised the NHS staff for delivering the vaccines. He also described the programme as, ‘the most colossal in the history of our National Health Service’. He also said that he will speak ‘a bit more’ in mid-February, about the future phases of the vaccination programme. "Though today there are some signs of hope – the numbers of Covid patients in hospital are beginning to fall for the first time since the onset of this new wave – the level of infection is still alarmingly high," he said.

Read: Scientists Warn Against More 'concerning' Mutations In UK; Calls For Vaccine Modification

Variant might have mutated further 

In another significant development, British scientists fear that the new variant of the COVID-19 virus that was detected in the UK last year may have mutated further and could beat the vaccines that are currently being administered across the world. According to PTI, scientists warned that the new UK strain of the virus has shown a mutation called E484K, adding the vaccines might not work against it. The mutation has already been seen in the South African variant and was recently detected in a few samples in certain regions of England. 

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Scientists, in a yet-to-be-published study by the University of Cambridge and National Institute for Health Research, said that the new E484K mutation is "concerning" and called for modifications in the vaccines in order to counter new variants. Professor Ravi Gupta, who is the lead author of the study, warned that the existing vaccines might possibly not work against the mutation. Gupta also said that the vaccination drive needs to be scaled-up in order to slow down the spread. 

The new mutation has been detected in 11 samples from Bristol and 32 from Liverpool so far. Health authorities fear that there may be more cases in the country. Mass testing for the new strain has already begun across England. Scientists are still studying what this new mutation might mean for the existing vaccines and how it will contribute to the already mounting cases.

Read: India To Supply Over 1 Billion Doses Of COVID Vaccines To UNICEF As Part Of COVAX Scheme

Also Read: UK Teenager Wakes Up From 10-month Coma With No Knowledge Of COVID-19 Pandemic

(Image Credits: AP)