OVER 325,000 people across Dorset have received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
NHS figures reveal a total of 325,469 patients in Dorset have received the first dose, while 11,694 have received both doses - giving a cumulative total of 337,763 doses as of March 11.
The figures cover the Dorset Council area, as well as the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole region.
The two vaccines that have been approved by the MHRA that are in use across the UK, have impressive efficacy rates, offering protection to those most at risk, according to the NHS.
The short-term vaccine efficacy from the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is calculated at around 90% and around 70% for Oxford AstraZeneca, with high protection against severe disease.
Given the high level of protection afforded by the first dose, expert clinical modelling produced by the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation shows vaccinating a greater number of people with a single dose will prevent more deaths and hospitalisations than vaccinating a smaller number of people with two doses.
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