The UK has set a new daily coronavirus vaccine record for the second day running.
A further 873,784 doses were administered on Saturday, health secretary Matt Hancock confirmed.
This included 686,424 first doses and 70,449 second doses in England, 9,415 first doses and 13,160 second doses in Scotland, 26,939 first doses and 9,429 second doses in Wales, and 4,785 first doses and 3,183 second doses in Northern Ireland.
The figures suggest an estimated 1.3 per cent of the UK’s population received a jab in just one day.
The announcement comes a day after Mr Hancock hailed the UK’s Covid vaccine programme as a “national success story” as he revealed half of all UK adults had received their first dose.
Defence secretary Ben Wallace has warned it would be “premature” for Britons to book holidays overseas this summer.
Mr Wallace said the UK should avoid throwing away the gains of its vaccination campaign by allowing dangerous variants into the country via returning tourists.
Professor Andrew Hayward, of University College London (UCL), meanwhile, said “another wave” of coronavirus cases was “likely” in the UK – although its consequences would be less due to high levels of vaccination.
Asked if a “fourth wave” of infections could be possible if “mistakes” are made during the easing of lockdown measures, the scientist told Times Radio: “I think another wave is possible, likely even.
“I guess the difference is that another wave will cause substantially fewer deaths and hospitalisations because of high levels of vaccination across the sorts of people who would have ended up in hospital or unfortunately dying if they haven’t been vaccinated.
“So the consequences of another wave are less. I think the challenge is of course we don’t know exactly how much less.”
