UK PM Johnson visits vaccination centre

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited a health centre in England on Monday after praising what he called a 'truly national effort' to offer COVID-19 vaccines to everyone in the top four priority groups by mid-February.

Johnson was at the Orpington Health and Wellbeing Centre in Kent.

He praised the “unbelievable effort” by scientists, medics, pharmacists, members of the military and volunteers that had achieved Europe’s fastest vaccine rollout.

Britain has had Europe’s worst coronavirus outbreak, with more than 117,000 deaths. Infections and deaths are now falling steadily, and the government says that on February 22 it will announce a “road map” for easing a nationwide lockdown.

Johnson is under pressure from some members of his governing Conservative Party to lift the lockdown soon, allowing businesses to reopen and people to visit friends and family.

The prime minister, who has been accused of being too slow to lock Britain down last spring, then too quick to ease restrictions in the summer, now strikes a more measured tone.

Johnson has said the UK will take "cautious but irreversible" steps to easing COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, despite falling infection rates.

Despite over 22% of the population having received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, Johnson insisted the national lockdown should be lifted gradually.

He noted that the number of Britons hospitalized with COVID-19 was still higher than last year's peak in April.

Johnson warned that allowing the disease to circulate in the population at high levels would increase the risk of new, potentially dangerous virus variants emerging.

He added that a large circulation would "inevitably" lead to suffering among the vulnerable.

The UK's vaccination program is now being extended to people over 65 and those with underlying health conditions.