COVID-19: UK reports 13 more coronavirus deaths and 2,613 new cases - as 16m now fully vaccinated

The UK has reported another 13 coronavirus-related deaths and 2,613 new cases in the latest 24-hour period, according to government data.

The figures compared with 27 deaths and 2,144 cases announced on Wednesday, while 22 fatalities and 2,445 infections were revealed last Thursday.

Since the pandemic started, there have been 4,428,553 lab-confirmed cases in the UK, and 127,583 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, another 139,097 people had their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday, taking the total to 34,934,171.

Also, 404,226 had their second jab on Wednesday, meaning 16,291,719 are now fully vaccinated in the UK.

It comes as new figures from the Office for National Statistics revealed the take-up of first dose COVID jabs among over-50s in England.

Due to the progress of the coronavirus vaccination programme, it can be assumed that a substantial proportion of over-50s had been offered a jab up to 12 April - the period to which the figures apply.

Vaccination rates for the first dose of a COVID vaccine were lower among all ethnic minority groups compared with the white British population.

The lowest vaccination rates were among people identifying as black Caribbean and black African (66.8% and 71.2% respectively), followed by people from Pakistani (78.4%) backgrounds.

This compares with a vaccination rate of 93.7% of white British over-50s, 90.9% among people identifying as Indian, and 86.9% among those identifying as Bangladeshi.

Statistical modelling showed the odds of not having received a dose of a vaccine were 7.4 times greater for people from black Caribbean backgrounds compared with people of white British ethnicity.

Also, separate figures from NHS England suggest nine in 10 people in England aged 70 and over have had both doses of COVID vaccine.

An estimated 90% of people in this age group had received both jabs as of 2 May, meaning they are fully vaccinated against coronavirus.

Some 50.5% of people aged 65 to 69 are estimated to have had both doses, along with 26.1% of people aged 60 to 64, 21.6% of people aged 55 to 59, and 17.9% of people aged 50 to 54.

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Also around three-quarters of people in England aged 45 to 49 are likely to have had their first dose.

An estimated 74.7% of people in this age group had received their first jab as of 2 May.

The data also suggests 89.5% of people aged 50 to 54 have had their first dose, along with 95.3% of 55 to 59-year-olds, 98% of 60 to 64-year-olds and 94.4% of 65 to 69-year-olds.

Some 97.7% of people aged 70 and over have had a first dose.