BISHOP Auckland MP Dehenna Davison has called for residents in their 20s to make sure they book their Covid vaccination.

Posting a photo of herself at the vaccination clinic to her social media, 27-year-old Ms Davison paid tribute to the staff at Knights Pharmacy, in Bishop Auckland, for their fast and efficient vaccination clinic and encouraged all those who are eligible to book their appointment as soon as they can.

With 71,672,208 doses administered in total, 41,698,429 people across the UK have now been vaccinated with a first dose (79.2 per cent), while 29,973,779 people have had both doses (56.9 per cent).

Last night, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said delaying lockdown easing will give the NHS more time to deliver crucial Covid-19 jabs, as the timeline for Covid-19 vaccines was sped up.

The target of offering jabs to all adults by the end of July has been brought forward to July 19, with those over the age of 23 in England able to book their jab from today.

The Northern Echo:

Ms Davison said: “A huge thanks to Knights Pharmacy in Bishop Auckland for running such a smooth and friendly vaccination clinic.

"I was in and out in five mins, and the jab felt no worse than a quick scratch.

“Our admiration must also go to also to Matt Hancock, Kate Bingham, and everyone working on the vaccination rollout for reaching 25 to 29-year olds so quickly.

"I would encourage anyone currently eligible to get the vaccine to do so, and those who are in their early twenties to keep an eye out and book an appointment as soon as they can.”

The Northern Echo:

The NHS website saw more than one million people book a Covid-19 vaccine last Tuesday as bookings were opened up to those aged 25 to 29 which was a record high.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “Our Covid-19 vaccination programme continues at an unparalleled pace and we are almost at the final lap of the race to offer a dose to all adults by the end of July.

“70 million total doses is a phenomenal achievement and it’s truly heartening to think that this provides 70 million shots of protection and hope for a country that has battled so hard to keep COVID-19 under control over the past 18 months.

“The number of appointments booked over the past few days just goes to show how enthusiastic we are as a nation towards getting the vaccine – I urge all who are eligible to get their jab at the earliest possible opportunity.”

Those in the eligible age group are being texted in stages with instructions on how to book their appointments.