Thousands of people are slated to receive a Covid-19 vaccine this week when Oxford Jab hits the market

Thousands of people will make history today by the first doses of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine, fueling Britain's hopes for an escape from the pandemic.

The UK's largest mass vaccination campaign of all time will provide half a million doses this week to those in need of protection. "Tens of millions" are promised by April.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock hailed "a historic day and day of celebration" over the bump created by Oxford University and drug giant AstraZeneca.

He said: "This is a crucial moment in our fight against this terrible virus and I hope it gives everyone hope again that the end of this pandemic is in sight."

Elderly and frail people in Oxford, London, Brighton, Morecambe in Lancashire and Nuneaton in Warwickshire are said to be the first to receive the shock.

This week, a total of 530,000 doses will be made available at 540 GP vaccination sites and 101 hospitals.

The NHS has ordered 100 million cans that it hopes will rid the country of Covid-19.

An army of current and former NHS staff have competed for the pushes, tens of thousands have already completed their training.

The vaccine is the second to be made available after a million Britons received the Pfizer BioNTech push. The Oxford vaccine is easier to use because it does not need to be stored at extremely low temperatures.

Yesterday Boris Johnson hailed vaccine advancement in the UK. He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: “The UK remains the first country to get an approved third stage vaccine into people's arms. We vaccinate like a million people already, surpassing the rest of Europe combined. & # 39;

He also promised that "tens of millions" of doses will be administered in "the next three months".

A total of 524,439 people who have already been vaccinated are 80 years of age or older – around one in five in this age group.

The supermarket giant Tesco and the chemist Boots have offered to help introduce the vaccines.

Boots will open three Covid-19 vaccine sites in Halifax, Huddersfield and Gloucester, while Tesco will help distribute the Oxford vaccine.

Mr Johnson has announced that there will be 530,000 doses of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine in around 540 GP vaccination sites and around 101 hospital locations tomorrow.

There are a total of 730 sites where the vaccine can be given.

In addition, there are 180 GP services and 100 hospitals, all of which are up and running this week. 1,000 locations will be in operation by Friday.

The Department of Defense deployed 10 military planners to support the government's vaccine task force.

The Army will also help on the ground – this is the largest peacekeeping operation on British shores.

Over 5,000 employees help with sales and testing.

The rollout of the Pfizer / BioNTech jab began almost a month ago.

However, both shocks require a second dose, which is now due to be given within 12 weeks instead of 21 days, as originally planned, to "protect the greatest number of people in the shortest possible time," said health chiefs.

The government was forced to reject the claim of a "zip code lottery" yesterday because general practitioners in some areas have not agreed to dispense the vaccine.

Official figures show there has been an additional 54,990 laboratory-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, an 80 percent increase from 30,501 a year earlier, while the death toll rose 43 percent to 454 last Sunday

Elderly and frail people in Oxford, London, Brighton, Morecambe in Lancashire and Nuneaton in Warwickshire are said to be the first to receive the shock. Pictured: a volunteer receives the Oxford vaccine

Two-thirds of the UK population are now in Tier 4, the rest in Tier 3 locks. Only the Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall are in the easy level 2

Oxford University / AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine doses were logged when they arrived at Princess Royal Hospital yesterday

Vaccine Use Minister Nadhim Zahawi said, “The vast majority of general practitioners have chosen to participate in the delivery of the vaccine through primary care networks.

"In areas where they have not yet agreed to participate, the NHS will give vaccinations in hospital centers or special centers."

Earlier this month, AstraZeneca boss Pascal Soriot promised the company could deliver two million doses a week by mid-January – which means 24 million could be vaccinated by Easter.

However, a source has suggested the target may be too big for the NHS, saying, "We never said we would do two million thrusts a week."

The source told The Daily Telegraph: “We have to deal with expectations. You can't vaccinate two million people a week from scratch. & # 39;

According to the NHS, the logistics of distribution – including training volunteers and preparing sites – may mean reaching the two million a week goal may take longer than promised.

Currently around 250,000 people get the sting every seven days.

UK chief physician Professor Chris Whitty warned this week that problems with vaccine availability "persist for several months" and that sting failure is a reality one cannot wish for.

The 530,000 cans ready for distribution tomorrow – along with another 450,000 expected in the coming days – is a fraction of what was promised.

Officials initially said 30 million cans would be ready by the end of the year.

The British vaccine czar lowered the estimate to 4 million in November, citing manufacturing problems.

India, on the other hand, is preparing to ship 50 million doses of the Oxford vaccine it manufactured and stored.

The vaccine can be stored at normal refrigerator temperature. The collision between Pfizer and BioNTech, on the other hand, requires cold storage of around -70 ° C. In the picture: Deputy technical employee Lukasz Najdrowski unpacks cans of the Oxford University / AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine yesterday

London is now the epicenter of the outbreak and its hospitals are being overwhelmed by the flood of patients. The weekly fall rate is 858 per 100,000, twice the national average

Among those scheduled to be vaccinated with the Oxford / AstraZeneca shock starting next week are NHS workers and social workers who are at risk. In the picture: The deputy technical officer Lukasz Najdrowski unpacks the cans on Monday

According to Dr. Findlay is projected to vaccinate hundreds of people per day at the Princess Royal Hospital site, with efficiencies expected to increase after the first few days of the program

Yesterday, Oxford Regius Professor of Medicine, Sir John Bell, who helped develop the sting with AstraZeneca, said successive UK governments have left the nation to avoid making vaccines at the pace required in a pandemic.

A government spokesman said: "We have long recognized the importance of vaccine manufacturing after announcing an innovation center in 2018 and investing £ 93 million (last year) to accelerate construction rapidly."

To ration food supplies, the government has pledged to give single doses of the Pfizer vaccine to as many people as possible, rather than giving a second dose to those already vaccinated.

However, the manufacturers of Pfizer and Oxford / AstraZeneca lugs have concerns about distribution and say there is no problem with delivery.

There are 15 million doses of the Oxford vaccine waiting to be packaged – while Pfizer has sent "millions" of doses.

A total of 24 million vials can be used or purchased on short notice – another 140 million doses of the two puffs are government orders.

Meanwhile, there have been concerns that bureaucracy is deterring tens of thousands of recently retired general practitioners, surgeons, and nurses from helping with the country's vaccination campaign.

In the criticism, more and more “ridiculous” demands were made, for example the requirement to be certified in fire protection or to be trained in the prevention of radicalization.

When asked about the complaints, Mr Johnson said, "I find it absurd and I know the Secretary of Health is taking steps to get rid of this pointless red tape."

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair urged the government to give five million vaccinations a week – and said it was hard to see how else schools could stay open.

He told Times Radio, "If I were Prime Minister now, I would tell the Downing Street team," You have to give me a plan to get that up to five million (vaccinations) a week. "

“Assuming we have the vaccine and should have it. I mean, AstraZeneca won't be able to get up to two million doses a week this week or next, but the week after, that's just AstraZeneca.

“They could probably do more if they knew the system was able to absorb the amount of vaccines they would produce.

"They should get approval for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine by the end of January. Then they finish their studies, and then we should be able to get them up and running in February."