ICYMI, From the BBC, comments by NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab...
Since Christmas, patient numbers have risen by 15,000 - the equivalent of 30 full hospitals
There are signs the number of infections are stabilising in some areas, but infections in over-60s continue to rise and pressure on the health service "will only get worse" in next few weeks
The number of critical care beds has increased by 50% since the first wave of the pandemic but a "very small number" of patients are still being transferred to hospitals in other regions
Treatments for Covid are continuing "to evolve and improve" with more patients being treated with oxygen therapy rather than in intensive care
Hospitals will open for vaccinations 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on a trial basis in the next 10 days
The NHS is vaccinating at the rate of 140 jabs a minute, and Sir Simon says he is "confident" the NHS will deliver 1.5 million vaccines this week
No one is being asked to throw away excess vaccines: "Every last drop of vaccine should be used," Sir Simon tells Andrew Marr
With 53,000 NHS staff currently off work for coronavirus-related reasons, Sir Simon "strongly thinks" NHS and social care staff need to be protected with a second vaccine dose.
Sir Simon says vaccinations are happening "four times faster than people are newly catching coronavirus"
He says more than half of over-80s have been vaccinated and many of the jabs given in February and March will be people's second doses
Mr Raab says there is a "three-point road map" for the vaccination programme
Government aim is to deliver 15 million jabs to the four most vulnerable groups by mid-February, and 17 million more doses by spring, encompassing 99% of the most at-risk people
By September, all of the adult population should have been offered a first dose of the vaccine
24-hour vaccine centres are due to be piloted in the next 10 days
Government remains confident it has "flexibility and latitude" to deliver the vaccine roll-out on schedule - and Mr Raab was not aware of any delays in the supply chain
If vaccine roll-out targets are met by mid-February, "we can start to think about a phased transition" out of the national lockdown
Sir Simon says every last drop of the vaccine should be used and no excess doses thrown away
Dominic Raab says people get a "very high" level of protection after receiving one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.
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