The UK rollout of the coronavirus vaccination programme has seen more than 20 million people inoculated with their first jab, nearly three months after the first immunisation was given on 8 December.
A total of 20,478,619 have received their first coronavirus jab in the UK as of 2 March, while 844,098 have received their second dose.
This has paved the way for the next phase of the rollout, which will cover the next five priority groups including the over-50s.
There are 1,400 vaccine sites across the country, including Salisbury Cathedral, meaning more than 97 per cent of the population is within 10 miles of a vaccine service.
Margaret Keenan, 91, of Coventry became the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer vaccine on 8 December 2020.
Brian Pinker, an 82-year-old retired engineer, joined Ms Keenan in the history books by being the first recipient of the Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccine on 4 January 2021.
According to the health secretary, Matt Hancock, one in every four adults was now “starting to receive protection from this dreadful disease” – but he warned that there was still “so much more to do”.
Many of people still have little choice but to sit tight and wait our turn as the NHS works its way down the list.
But if you are feeling antsy, Omni’s Vaccine Queue Calculator is available to give you an approximate estimate of how long it will be before your number comes up.
The tool asks you to input your age and answer a few basic questions about your health and working conditions in return for a rough idea of your position in line.
Read more: Opinion - How the vaccine rollout shows wealth means health in America
It is based on the UK government’s priority list but is independent and not affiliated with the NHS or the national vaccine rollout programme.
Whatever answer you receive, patience is likely to remain the watchword - with the calculator currently operating on the base assumption that 2.7 million vaccinations will be administered per week, a figure in line with the 2.8 million administered over the week beginning 7 February.
Covid-19 is clearly far from over, with the UK suffering in excess of 4 million cases of the respiratory disease so far and more than 123,000 deaths.
The current lockdown restrictions appear to be curbing the peak of the second wave, with a downward trend in cases from the peak of 68 thousand new cases on 8 January alone. Deaths are also trending downwards, but at a slower rate than positive tests.
Mr Hancock suggests we can look forward to a “happy and free” summer, but warns of a “tough few months between now and then”.
