Thread by @globeandmail

In the coming weeks, Britain will continue its gradual reopening, driven by mass uptake of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine – one of the fastest immunization efforts in the world

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While health officials in many countries, including Canada, have voiced reservations about the AstraZeneca vaccine due to the rare risk of blood clots, Britain built its immunization campaign around the shot.

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In recent weeks “more people have seen the news about the rare cases of blood clots but it hasn’t affected overall [vaccine] sentiment,” said Bobby Duffy, director of the policy institute at King’s College London.

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Britain has bet heavily on this vaccine, investing £88-million ($154-million) to produce it. As of April 21, more than 26 million doses of the jab had been administered – representing 59% of all vaccinations in the country.

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On Wednesday, daily infections in Britain fell to 2,144 – down from 60,000 cases in January. Deaths from COVID-19 dropped to 27, a steep decline from the 1,500 deaths seen some days in January.

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Experts said fears of another wave occurring this summer as restrictions ease have largely faded. With government confidence growing, much of the economy will reopen on May 17 and all pandemic restrictions could be lifted by the end of June.

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