More than 10 million people in the UK have received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

New figures show that the NHS vaccinated a total of 10,021,471 million people between 8 December 2020 and 2 February 2021, including nine in 10 people aged 75 and over in England.

The milestone marks an important step towards hitting the Prime Minister’s target of offering vaccines to the top 4 priority groups by the middle of February. These top 4 groups account for 88 per cent of coronavirus deaths, which is why the vaccines will play such a crucial role in saving lives and reducing the demand on the NHS.

Vaccines have been offered to all elderly care home residents and staff in England and Wales, with staff returning to homes where residents may have been unable to get a vaccine due to medical conditions, or because of a local outbreak.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “This terrific achievement is testament to the monumental effort of NHS workers, volunteers and the armed forces who have been working tirelessly in every corner of the UK to deliver the largest vaccination programme in our history. Every jab makes us all a bit safer – I want to thank everyone for playing their part.

“Vaccines are the way out of this pandemic. The unprecedented national effort we have seen right across the United Kingdom means the majority of our most vulnerable people are now inoculated against this awful disease. The UK government has worked rapidly to secure and deliver doses to all of the UK, demonstrating the strength of our union and what we can achieve together.”