By Rachael Grealish

The Prime Minister has commemorated the late Captain Sir Tom Moore and praised vaccinations teams as the milestone of 10 million people vaccinated has been achieved.

Speaking from Downing Street today, Wednesday February 3, Boris Johnson celebrated the NHS teams behind the vaccination process.

He said: “It is thanks to the NHS that we have passed the milestone of getting 10 million people vaccinated with a first dose.”

The PM went on to say new research from Oxford shows how effective the AstraZeneca vaccine is after just one dose.

“No vaccine is ever 100% perfect, but increasingly the evidence shows that the vaccines will cut deaths and serious illness,” he added.

Johnson was joined by Professor Chris Whitty who warned those who have been vaccinated should continue to social distance.

Prof Whitty said it takes ‘two or three weeks’ after a first jab of the vaccine for a person to have protection from the virus and called on people to continue to stick to social distancing rules even after they have been vaccinated.

“We don’t yet know with confidence how much these vaccines will reduce the risk of transmission,” he warned.

The PM said deaths are still ‘alarmingly high’ and the ‘wards of our NHS are still under huge pressure’.

He said: “Though today there are some signs of hope – the numbers of Covid patients in hospital are beginning to fall for the first time since the onset of this new wave – the level of infection is still alarmingly high.

“The wards of our NHS are under huge pressure with more than 32,000 Covid patients still in hospital.

“And so tonight let’s clap together for Captain Tom at 6pm and let’s clap for the spirit of optimism that he stood for, but let’s also clap for all those he campaigned for.”

Johhnson called for people to stick to the rules, saying that if we do: “In the words of Captain Tom, tomorrow will be a better day.”

Speaking about Captain Sir Tom, Johnson said: “He achieved more in his 100th year than perhaps any centenarian in our history.”

The 100-year-old WWII veteran passed away after a battling pneumonia and COVID-19.

A doorstep applause for Captain Sir Tom Moore is to go ahead this evening at 6pm.