Boris Johnson has warned that more people will die from Covid as lockdown restrictions are lifted.
It comes after a vaccine expert warned that there could be another 50,00 deaths in third wave of Covid in the UK this year.
And it comes as the latest figures from Public Health England show infections now rising in 10 per cent of the country.
The Office for National Statistics says more than 150,000 people in England and Wales have now died with Covid on their death certificate..
Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters in Downing Street: “It’s great that we have managed to achieve the target of getting everyone in the one to nine (priority) groups vaccinated by the deadline, by the timetable – a little bit ahead actually, 32 million people now have got their first dose, which is terrific.
“We are going now to the 45-49 group, they are being asked to come forward.”
But he warned that, although the numbers of infections, hospital admissions and deaths are down, the reduction “has not been achieved by the vaccination programme” but rather the lockdown.
“Of course the vaccination programme has helped, but the bulk of the work in reducing the disease has been done by the lockdown,” he said.
“So, as we unlock, the result will inevitably be that we will see more infection, sadly we will see more hospitalisation and deaths.
“People have just got to understand that.”
Mr Johnson again insisted that “at the moment I can’t see any reason for us to change the road map, to deviate from the targets that we have set ourselves”, but he urged people to be cautious.
The next “waymarks” on England’s road map out of lockdown are due on May 17 and June 21.
He added: “But it is very, very important that, if we are to get there in the way that we all want, people continue to be cautious and they continue to exercise restraint and just do the basic things to stop the spread of the virus – washing your hands, giving people plenty of space, doing things in fresh air.”
Boris Johnson insisted he remains “very confident” about vaccine supplies.
The Prime Minister told reporters in Downing Street: “This always was going to be the ‘second dose’ month and people should come forward for their second doses and people who are called from the 45-49 (age) group should come forward and get theirs.”
