Over two-thirds of young people in England have now received at least one vaccination against coronavirus.
New figures for July 29 show that 3.1 million people aged 18-24 have now received their first vaccine, with a further 992,509 having their second dose.
The figures also show that 9 out of 10 people over 40 are now fully vaccinated in what is the biggest and fastest vaccine programme in history.
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Dr Nikki Kanani, medical director of primary care for NHS England, has praised the strong uptake of jabs across the country.
Dr Kanani said: “it is fantastic to see this huge progress in such a short space of time as part of the biggest and fastest vaccine programme in our history.
“As we continue to get back to normality, it has never been more important to get vaccinated.”
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Tourist hotspots such as Thorpe Park are being used for pop-up vaccination centres to help continue to encourage young people to get their vaccines across the summer, and Medical Professor Jonathan Van-Tam has said that the programme has helped save 60k lives across England.
Answering questions on BBC Radio today, Professor Van Tam said: “the latest public health England shows that because of this massive third wave that we’ve had, what the vaccines have done is prevent in total 22 million cases of COVID infection and 60k deaths.
“that’s truly massive.”
In Liverpool, vaccine uptake is slightly behind neighbouring areas, with only 48.9% of people aged 18-24 receiving their first dose in the latest figures.
Dr Kanani has joined local health officials in urging everyone to continue to get both vaccines to help continue to fight the virus:
She said: “NHS staff and local partners around the country are setting up pop-up sites at places like Thorpe Park, Goodwood, Felixstowe seafront and other community hubs like places of worship and football stadiums.
“It has never been easier to get your vaccine so protect yourself and protect those around you by getting your jab today.”
