Care home workers, NHS staff and the over 80's are among the first 137,897 people to have received the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine this week. It has been the largest vaccination programme in British history.

The rate of vaccinations will continue to rise over the coming weeks, as more doses become available and the programme continues to expand.

The government have said that a further 40 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine have been secured for the whole of the UK.

Patients require two doses of the vaccine – 21 days apart – for the vaccine to be fully effective. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is the first vaccine to be authorised for use by the medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

If authorised by the MHRA, the Oxford/AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines will also be available to vaccinate those most in need.