COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom

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COVID-19 vaccination programme in the United Kingdom

Vial and syringe used for the vaccination of Margaret Keenan, the first COVID-19 vaccine given outside of trials
Date	8 December 2020 (2020-12-08) – present
Location	United Kingdom
Cause	COVID-19 pandemic
Target	Immunisation of the public in the United Kingdom against COVID-19
Participants	53,710,109 have received one vaccine dose 50,483,527 have received two vaccine doses 40,196,024 have received three vaccine doses, 6,200,537 have received a fourth dose[1]
Outcome	92.9% of UK population 12+ have received one vaccine dose 86.8% of UK population 12+ have received two vaccine doses 69% of UK population 12+ have received three vaccine doses[1]
Website	GOV.UK

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The COVID-19 vaccination programme in the United Kingdom is an ongoing mass immunisation campaign for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Vaccinations began on 8 December 2020 after Margaret Keenan became the first person in the world (outside trials) to receive her first dose of two of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.^[2] There are three vaccines currently in use; following approval of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (Comirnaty), vaccines developed by University of Oxford and AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), and the United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Moderna (Spikevax) have been rolled out. As of 13 September 2021^[update], there were four other COVID-19 vaccines on order for the programme, at varying stages of development.

Phase 1 of the rollout prioritised the most vulnerable, in a schedule primarily based on age. The delivery plan was adjusted on 30 December 2020, delaying second doses so that more people could receive their first dose. A target to give all 15 million people in the top four priority groups their first dose by the middle of February 2021 was announced on 4 January 2021, and achieved on 14 February 2021. The next five groups were offered a vaccine by 15 April, and 32 million doses were administered by that point. In June 2021, all adults aged 18+ were able to get their first dose of a vaccine. The vaccine rollout was expanded to adolescent children and booster doses during the later months of that year.^[3] In response to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, third vaccine doses were made available to all adults in December 2021.^[4]

The UK's rollout was among the fastest in the world with among the highest uptake in its first few months,^[2] although vaccination rates had slowed down or plateaued by autumn 2021 due to lower uptake in younger age groups.^[5][6] Polling suggests the UK's level of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is among the world's lowest.^[7][8]

Vaccination sites include GP practices, care homes and pharmacies, as well as hospitals. As of 21 May 2021^[update], there were 2,057 vaccination sites operating in England.^[9] There are over 1,100 vaccination sites operating in Scotland.^[10] As of 25 May 2021, there were 462 vaccination sites operating in Wales.^[11] Additional sites, including large venues such as sports stadia, entered the programme from 11 January 2021, with seven mass vaccination centres opening in England initially and seven in Wales.^[12]

New guidance for allergy sufferers, antibody tests, new variants of SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.1.7 and B.1.617) and the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in younger adults have been issued throughout the programme.

The programme also includes procurement of vaccines for British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.^[13][14]

According to a June 2022 study published in The Lancet, COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom prevented an additional 507,000 deaths from December 8, 2020 to December 8, 2021.^[15][16]

Progress, as of 6 October 2021^[update]

Home nation	Doses administered per 100 people
United Kingdom	140.95
England	140.20
Scotland	148.08
Wales	146.38
Northern Ireland	133.61
From official vaccination[17] and 2019 ONS[18][19][20][21] data. (Doses may not equate to no. people if more than one dose received.)