January 21, 2021: According to government figures, nearly two million people in the UK have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in the past week.

Matt Hancock told MPs, “We’re giving 200 vaccinations every minute”.

But Boris Johnson warned there was “unquestionably going to be a tough few weeks” while the vaccine was rolled out and urged people to observe lockdown.

 NHS England figures show one in 10 primary hospital trusts had no spare adult critical care beds last week.

The UK recorded another high coronavirus deaths on Wednesday. A further 1,820 people died within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test. According to government figures, the total number of fatalities measures 93,290.

Sixty-five new vaccination centers opened in England on Thursday, including a mosque in Birmingham and a cinema in Aylesbury.

The government aims to offer a vaccine to all over the 70s, the overly clinical vulnerable, and health and care workers by mid-February.

The health secretary told MPs earlier that more than five million doses had been given to 4.6 million patients and said the country had an “immense infrastructure in place that day by day is protecting the needful and giving hope to us all.”

 “Let’s all take comfort in the fact we’re giving 200 vaccinations every minute, but in the meantime, everyone must follow the rules to protect the NHS and save lives.” Said the health secretary.

Asked about difficulties in getting vaccines to rural areas and whether the Oxford-AstraZeneca could be prioritized for these as it is easier to store, Mr. Hancock said the supply was lumpy. The manufacturers are working “as fast as possible.”

Mr. Hancock said that 63% of residents in elderly care homes had now received a vaccine.

Mr. Hancock said the clinical advice was that the current guidelines on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) were “right and appropriate” and said “very significant measures” had been brought in for international travel.