Coronavirus in Portsmouth: 166,417 vaccine doses given so far according to NHS England figures

NHS England data published today shows 146,285 first doses in total have been given up to January 17, and 20,132 second doses.

Around 65 per cent of all over-80s in Hampshire and the island have now received their first dose.

Penny Mordaunt, Portsmouth North MP, said: ‘Hampshire has been ahead of the national average from the start and I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to make this massive effort.

‘The mission is the vaccinate as many people as possible in the shortest time possible starting with the key priority groups.

‘The rollout won’t be completely uniform – but we are trying to make it as uniform across the whole country as we can.

‘The speed we can do this is determined by how much vaccines we get access to each day. I’d ask everyone to be patient and it won’t be long before you are called forward. Better times lie ahead.’

It’s the first time the NHS has published more localised vaccine data, showing 166,417 doses in total have been given in the area.

This includes 72,178 under-80s and 74,107 over-80s who have received their first dose.

And 2,970 under-80s have already had a second dose, while 17,162 over-80s have received a second jab.

So far in England, 3,981,445 doses have been administered, including 1,685,937 first doses to the over-80s.

READ NEXT: Portsmouth hospital trust left with 'no spare' beds for critically-ill adults as Covid-19 case soar

But Portsmouth South MP, Labour’s Stephen Morgan, said ‘we need to do better’.

He said: ‘If the government is to meet its vaccination target next month, it needs to fully utilise resources, including having a 24/7 operation making full use of community pharmacists, GPs, retired NHS staff and volunteers.

‘That is how we will beat this virus here in Portsmouth and play our part to vaccinate Britain.’

It comes as the number of beds occupied by Covid patients at Queen Alexandra Hospital has dropped.

Data published yesterday showed 458 Covid patients as of January 19, down from 503 on January 12.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can subscribe here for unlimited access to Portsmouth news online - as well as fewer adverts, access to our digital edition and mobile app.

Our trial offer starts at just £2 a month for the first two months.