Source : Times of India British Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed a "significant milestone" on Sunday as data showed 15 million first doses of Covid-19 vaccinations had been delivered, fuelling calls for the government to start relaxing far-reaching lockdown measures. The vaccine programme is seen as one of few successes in the government's handling of a pandemic that has left the country with a higher death toll and worse economic damage than its peers. The United Kingdom's total population is about 67 million. After becoming the first in the world to approve a vaccine, the British government set an ambitious Feb. 15 target date to reach 15 million care home residents and staff, frontline health and care workers, all those aged 70 or over and the clinically extremely vulnerable. The vaccine programme's success has led to calls from those opposed to prolonged lockdowns to begin easing restrictions that order citizens to stay at home, shut non-essential shops and close schools. But foreign minister Dominic Raab said it was too soon yet to discuss when restrictions could be lifted. Government's next target date to have vaccinated the cohorts - an estimated 32 million people - that have so far accounted for 99% of all deaths. "Once all nine priority groups have been protected by the end of April, there is no justification for any legislative restrictions to remain," the letter organised by the Covid Recovery Group said. Johnson will set out on Feb 22. The government's plans to end the lockdown. He has said he wants schools to reopen on March 8.