British health secretary Matt Hancock on Sunday said that every adult in the United Kingdom will be offered a coronavirus vaccination by the autumn, reported AFP quoting a BBC report.

“We are going to have enough to offer the vaccine to everyone over the age of 18 by the autumn,” Hancock told the BBC, adding it was vital to have started with the most vulnerable.

Hancock added that public health officials are currently vaccinating 200,000 people daily, as they race to meet a target of inoculating 15 million, who are at high risk of contracting COVID-19, by mid-February.

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Britain is initially prioritising the elderly, their carers and health workers, but the health secretary asserted everybody eligible would be offered a vaccine dose this year.

British health regulators have so far approved two vaccines — the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines — which are already being used for immunising people.

This week, the UK also approved US firm Moderna’s vaccined, and it will be rolled out from the spring.

Jabs have mostly been administered at hospitals and doctors surgeries, but seven mass vaccination centres will open next week, with more in the pipeline, according to Hancock.

The vaccination drive is ramping up as a coronavirus variant has pushed infections and deaths to unprecedented levels.

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Britain on Saturday crossed three million cases of coronavirus after the government announced another 59,937 new cases.

It also recorded 1,035 deaths from the virus, taking the total death toll to 80,868, one of the highest in Europe alongside Italy.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a third national lockdown for England at the start of the week, with similar levels of restrictions in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Medical chiefs across the UK are racing to boost treatment capacity as hospitals risked being overwhelmed, while the government has launched a fresh publicity drive urging people to stay at home.