Covid vaccine rollout: More than 250,000 in the East Riding have had jab one year on

December 8 marks a year to the day that then 90-year-old Margaret Keenan became the first person to get the Pfizer jab after its approval in the UK.

The vaccine was administered at University Hospital Coventry, and marked the start of a historic world-wide mass vaccination programme.

Since then, 279,072 people aged 12 and over in the East Riding have received at least the first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, figures up to December 4 from the UK coronavirus daily dashboard show.

That’s at least 89% of all people in the age group, based on the number of people on the National Immunisation Management Service.

Of them, 260,299 have also received a second dose – 83% – though 12 to 17-year-olds only became eligible for second jabs in recent weeks.

The NHS launched its booster jab campaign in September, after data showed falling levels of protection from symptomatic disease and hospital admission six months after people have had their second jab .

Data shows 131,665 people in the East Riding had received a booster jab or third dose of the coronavirus vaccine by December 4.

Vaccines minister Maggie Throup said the Covid-19 vaccination programme – the largest in British history – has been “remarkable”.

She added: “Booster jabs will protect the progress we have already made against the virus.”

Professor Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, warned that although more than 96 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have already been given, providing protection to nine in 10 people, the emergence of the Omicron variant shows the pandemic “is far from over”.

“Thanks to hard work of NHS staff and volunteers we have carried out almost two million vaccinations a week on average since the largest vaccination drive in NHS history began last December – with more sites delivering jabs across the country,” he said.