People queue at an NHS Covid-19 vaccination centre for the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in London on December 30, 2020 as cases of the virus continue to soar and the Government raises restrictions around the country. Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP
LONDON 鈥� Britain said Thursday that it had vaccinated almost 950,000 people, as a surge in coronavirus cases prompted the reopening of field hospitals and warnings not to party on New Year鈥檚 Eve.
According to the latest government figures, 944,539 people in the UK had received a first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine as of Sunday.
A second approved vaccine, developed by Oxford University and British drugs firm AstraZeneca, will be given from next week.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the figures showed the state-run National Health Service had 鈥渞isen to this 聽enormous task鈥�.
He predicted the number of vaccinations would 鈥渞ise rapidly in the months ahead鈥�.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a New Year message underscored the 鈥渉ard struggle鈥� ahead, as pressure mounted on the NHS to deal with the rise in cases.
But at the same time, he said that 鈥渁s the sun rises tomorrow on 2021, we have the certainty of those vaccines鈥�.
The positive news came as England on Thursday was preparing to reopen its Nightingale field hospitals as the surge in cases of the new strain of coronavirus strained bed capacity.
The government launched a campaign for New Year鈥檚 Eve telling people to avoid any socializing. 鈥淎ct like you鈥檝e got it,鈥� it said.
A leaked email sent to staff at The Royal London Hospital, one of the main hospitals in the capital, and published by ITV 黑料社, said that 鈥渨e are now in disaster medicine mode鈥�.
The hospital was 鈥渘o longer providing high standard critical care, because we cannot鈥�, it added.
鈥楻eactivated and ready鈥�
An NHS spokesman said the temporary Nightingale facilities across England 鈥渁re being readied to admit patients once again should they be needed鈥�.
He said that 鈥渋n anticipation of pressures rising from the spread of the new variant infection,鈥� the authorities asked the NHS to ensure London鈥檚 Nightingale hospital was 鈥渞eactivated and ready to admit patients as needed, and that process is under way鈥�.
The hospital is located in a convention center in east London.
Seven Nightingale hospitals were opened with fanfare across England during the first wave of the virus at an estimated cost of 拢220 million, to provide extra beds for patients with coronavirus.
Named after one of the pioneers of nursing, Florence Nightingale, some are in exhibition centers. Other parts of the UK built similar facilities.
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told Times Radio that the military, which helped to build them, 鈥渟tands ready鈥� to help staff the hospitals if the NHS runs out of critical care beds.
The Daily Telegraph reported on Monday that the London Nightingale hospital had no patients and had been stripped of beds and ventilators, while the temporary hospitals in two other cities were empty.
According to the latest government data, the United Kingdom had 23,813 hospitalized virus patients as of Monday.
The UK recorded 55,892 new cases on Thursday, more than 12,000 of which were in London.
The number of people testing positive in the UK in the last seven days rose 24 percent compared to the previous week.
NHS England said there were 22,728 beds occupied by confirmed cases in England on Thursday.
Three-quarters of England鈥檚 population are currently under the harshest anti-virus restrictions and ordered to stay at home except for essential trips.
The UK has recorded 2.4 million virus cases and 73,512 deaths.