UK, Germany focus on vaccination drive to combat the next wave of Covid-19

As the epidemic expands, the United Kingdom and Germany have made the coronavirus vaccine campaign their top priority.

Germany's vaccination prioritisation plan will be lifted on June 7, allowing all residents over the age of 12 to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, according to Minister of Health Jens Spahn Mean, while UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock claims that more than three-quarters of adults have received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccination.

According to the Robert Koch Institute, more than 15.6 million people in Germany have been fully vaccinated, raising the country's immunisation rate to 18.8%. (RKI). In the United Kingdom, According to the most recent official numbers, more than 39.5 million people have received the first vaccination.

Prior to this, appointments for Covid-19 vaccinations in Germany were divided into priority categories based on citizens' age, previous illnesses, and occupation. According to the Robert Koch Institute, more than 15.6 million people in Germany have been fully vaccinated, raising the country's immunisation rate to 18.8%. (From RKI.)

On Wednesday, Hancock stated at the Global Vaccine Confidence Summit in Oxford that the UK has commenced commercial negotiations with AstraZeneca for a vaccine that targets variants of concern, including the Beta version found in South Africa. Hancock remarked that the world's attention is increasingly focused on how to vaccinate the entire population, noting that almost half a billion doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine had been delivered globally, "mainly to low and middle-income countries."

According to the most recent official figures, more than 39.5 million people in the United Kingdom have gotten the first immunisation. Meanwhile, the UK government is under increasing pressure to postpone the last stage of relaxing restrictions in England on June 21 due to fears about the spread of the B.1.6172 type, sometimes known as Delta.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said earlier Wednesday that he has seen "nothing in the data" to suggest that the last stage of relaxing the Covid lockdown cannot be implemented. However, according to reports, a final decision on the planned lockdown relaxation will not be made until June 14.

(With inputs from IANS)