Britain could be free of lockdowns and strict coronavirus restrictions by the end of February, while the Oxford vaccine is reportedly set for approval ‘within days’. 

The Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency could sign off on the Oxford jab by New Year’s Eve, with people given the vaccine as early as January 4, The Sun reports.

The approval would be a welcome development as the Oxford jab is easier to administer and can be stored in a regular fridge, as opposed to the -70C temperatures required for the Pfizer vaccine.

Some 12 to 15 million people who are most at risk of dying from the virus have also been identified by officials, The Mail reports.

Government sources said that once these vulnerable Brits have had their jabs, the NHS will no longer be at risk of being overwhelmed. 

This could eliminate the main argument for lockdowns and tight restrictions.

The UK has an advance order for 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine on top of an existing 40 million Pfizer jabs, which are currently being rolled out across the country.

Ministers plan to carry out two million doses within two weeks of approval, using sports stadiums and conference centres as mass vaccination hubs. 

On Christmas Eve, the Government said over 600,000 people had received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the combination of coronavirus advancements and the recent post-Brexit trade deal with the EU marked a ‘new era for global Britain’.

‘The early roll-out of vaccines – and the incredible work of our scientists and NHS – means we can now see light at the end of the tunnel with this pandemic,’ he wrote in the Mail on Sunday.

Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said the ‘heroic efforts’ of the team at the University of Oxford ‘have paid off’.

He told The Sun on Sunday: ‘From day one of the pandemic, people from across the nation have been working day and night to find a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine.

‘We have seen the best of British at every stage, from our world-leading scientists working around the clock to carry out vital research, to builders and engineers constructing new facilities.’

He said the ‘UK-wide effort’, including manufacturers’ efforts and people participating in clinical trials, shows how ‘fantastic’ the nation is.

Despite Pfizer saying two doses are necessary to ‘provide the maximum protection’ ministers reportedly are debating giving people one jab instead of two.

The idea to accelerate the programme is supported by Professor David Salisbury, who ran immunisation at the Department of Health until 2003.

Professor Salisbury said: ‘You give one dose you get 91 per cent [protection]. You give two doses and you get 95 per cent.

‘You are only gaining 4 per cent for giving the second dose.’

Since March, the Government has given the University of Oxford £88 million to speed up the vaccine project.

Once approved for the public, the jabs will be manufactured in Oxford and Newcastle.

But medical unions and the Labour Party criticised the Government’s handling of the programme, which they said had not made enough progress in care homes.

Nadra Ahmed, chairman of the National Care Association, told the Sunday Mirror the Pfizer/BioNTech rollout was going to be ‘difficult’, but added: ‘It’s another case of the massive over-promise on something that just cannot be delivered. It’s constant.’

And Labour shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth told the paper there was a ‘race against time’ to vaccinate enough people as he urged the Government to avoid what he said were ‘the same mistakes again’ in being ‘too slow’ to protect care home residents.

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