UK on verge of passing 50% of adults given first dose of Covid vaccine

Prime Minister Boris Johnson received his first dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday evening

The UK is on the verge of reaching the major milestone of giving more than 50% of the adult population their first dose of coronavirus vaccine (Frank Augstein/PA)

The UK is on the verge of reaching the major milestone of giving more than 50% of the adult population their first dose of coronavirus vaccine.

Government data up to March 18 suggests that 49.9% of the population aged 18 and over have received a first dose, with an estimated 73,000 more jabs needed to pass the halfway mark.