Politics

Lockdown looms to combat virus as first Oxford-AstraZeneca shots given

An immediate national lockdown would ‘help maximise the effectiveness of the vaccines coming down the track’, scientists said

Doses of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine arrive at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath. Two London NHS trusts are among the six to start delivering the vaccine this week, as well as trusts in Sussex, Oxford and Lancashire and Warwickshire
Doses of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine arrive at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath. Two London NHS trusts are among the six to start delivering the vaccine this week, as well as trusts in Sussex, Oxford and Lancashire and Warwickshire Photo: Getty Images

As England faces the threat of a third national lockdown, the first doses of the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca are to be administered.

More than half a million doses were ready for use on 4 December, the Department for Health and Social Care said on 4 January. Health secretary Matt Hancock described the rollout as a “pivotal moment in our fight against the virus”.

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