HEALTH Secretary Matt Hancock has announced the next stage of the Covid vaccine rollout plan.

In a number 10 press conference today he laid out plans for those under 50-years-old, which are due to start in April.

So far 19m people in the UK have been inoculated, this equates to 35 per cent of the adult population.

Mr Hancock said that he hopes the Government would have completed the vaccination of the most vulnerable groups by April 15.

The Government is then looking at vaccinating people in age descending order, in three phases.

These are as follows, those aged 40 to 49, followed by those aged 30 to 39, then those aged 18 to 29.

He said: "The vaccines is focused on those with the greatest clinical need.
"This is the safest way to roll out the jab.

"The latest data shows that we are moving in the right direction."

"The number of cases is now down to one in every 145 people, from one in every 55 people, and the rate of decline is continuing, but actually it's slowing.

"The rate of hospital admissions shows a fall of 40 per cent over the last fortnight but there are still 15,485 people in hospital and that is far too high.

"The number of deaths have halved in the last fortnight but 380 deaths were reported each day and that is far too high."

Mr Hancock added how that the link between hospitalisation and deaths which has had a "grim inevitability" is now breaking because of the vaccination programme, "however this is not over yet, the stay home rules are there for a reason."