More than 14,000 lives had been saved by the UK vaccination programme, according to Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi.
The Tory minister was addressing a Downing Street press conference when he revealed that 44,500 hospital admissions had also been averted in England – 2,500 in the past two weeks.
Minister Zahawi has also praised the young people coming forward for their first jabs since the offer was opened to all adults aged 18 or over in recent days.
He said: “I have been absolutely thrilled to see videos of young people coming forward at some of our major vaccination events last weekend and I’m sure they’ll be doing the same this coming weekend.
“The enthusiasm is making a huge difference.
"We have already given first doses to almost half of all 25 to 29-year-olds in England and only a week after the programme opened to all adults on Friday, one third of people aged between 18 and 25 have had their first dose.
“To all of the young people who have stepped up, I want to say a huge thank you – you’ve protected yourself, you’ve protected your families and you’ve protected your communities, because the one thing you know, that we know, is that vaccines are making the real difference.”
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