The UK has pulled ahead of other large advanced economies in the race to vaccinate against coronavirus, and had inoculated almost 6 per cent of its population by the end of last week.
After performing poorly in controlling the spread of the virus, testing and tracing positive cases, preventing deaths and protecting the economy, Britain’s stronger effort in vaccinating its citizens is allowing ministers to dream that an end to Britain’s Covid-19 crisis might be in sight.
The success is because of a combination of strong planning, a willingness to spend and the centralised structure of the NHS.
With almost 1.8m first-dose jabs delivered last week and the pace of vaccination still increasing, Matt Hancock, health secretary, on Monday warned the nation to continue to adhere to lockdown restrictions.
He said: “Don’t blow it now. We’re on the route out. We’re protecting the most vulnerable. We’re getting the virus under control.”
Having vaccinated most of…