The British health ministry announced on Sunday that every adult in the United Kingdom has been administered a first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, ahead of the end of legal restrictions in England on Monday.
By July 19, Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants any adult who wanted a shot to be able to get one.
So far, 87.8% of adults have received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine; the government is on track to reach its goal of giving two-thirds of inpiduals two shots by Monday.
Despite a new spike of cases spurred by the highly transmissible Delta variant, Johnson is ahead with the full reopening of the economy.
Since January, the number of new infections has been at an all-time high.
Given the high case rates, the large proportion of the population that has not yet been completely vaccinated, and the expected increases in hospitalizations and fatalities, some British scientists are concerned about the re-opening.
British Health Minister Sajid Javid said, Saturday, he tested positive for Covid-19, less than a month after returning to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s cabinet to lead the government’s response to the pandemic.
Javid said, in a video on Twitter, that he was feeling “a bit groggy” on Friday night and took a lateral flow test Saturday morning that gave a positive result. He’s now waiting for laboratory confirmation from a PCR test.
Javid, 51, who said he’s fully vaccinated, was self-isolating at home with his family. The minister affirmed that his symptoms were “very mild.”
This positive test comes days before many coronavirus restrictions are set to be lifted in England in what’s been dubbed “Freedom Day,” but as cases, especially of the delta variant, surge.
The British daily cases reported on Friday topped 50,000 for the first time since early January. The government expects daily cases to possibly top 100,000 by next month as the delta variant spreads, particularly among younger people who’ve yet to been vaccinated.
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