³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Half a million doses of the second coronavirus vaccine to be approved in the UK are ready to be used from Monday.

The injection made by the university of Oxford and medicine company AstraZeneca comes as the UK has seen an increase in coronavirus cases.

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "The Oxford vaccine is a triumph of British science and I want to thank everyone involved in its development and production."

The PM added that he was "confident this is the year we will defeat coronavirus".

On Sunday, more than 50,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases were recorded in the UK for the sixth day running.

Boris Johnson said regional restrictions in England are "probably about to get tougher" as the UK tries to control a new, fast-spreading version of the virus. Meanwhile the opposition Labour Party has asked the government to put England into a third national lockdown.

Although most primary schools in England will be starting back in the next few days, the high number of cases means that some schools in England won't be reopening as planned.

Lockdowns are in place in Northern Ireland and Wales lockdowns, while politicians in Scotland will meet later to discuss extra rules.

A mass vaccination programme - which involves around 70 hospital hubs across the UK - began on 8 December, 2020.

A 90-year-old granny called Margaret Keenan from Northern Ireland became the very first person to receive a vaccination against the coronavirus.

The use of the Oxford vaccine will increase vaccinations in the UK as, unlike the first coronavirus medicine, made by the company Pfizer, it does not need to be stored at very cold temperatures so is far easier to store and transport.

Hospitals in Oxford, London, Sussex, Lancashire and Warwickshire - will begin giving out the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab on Monday, with 530,000 doses ready for use.

The Department of Health says that most other available doses will be sent to local doctors services and care homes across the UK later in the week.

Older people and those who are at a higher risk of becoming seriously ill if they catch coronavirus will receive the vaccine first.

Children will not be vaccinated at this point as they have a much lower risk of becoming very sick if they catch Covid-19.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "This is a pivotal moment in our fight against this awful virus and I hope it provides renewed hope to everybody that the end of this pandemic is in sight."

But he encouraged people to continue to follow social distancing guidance and coronavirus rules to "keep cases down and protect our loved ones".