People were told to work from home unless it’s impossible to do so, and leave home only for essential trips. As of Monday, there were 26,626 COVID-19 patients in hospitals in England, an increase of more than 30% from a week ago. Britain has secured the rights to 100 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which is cheaper and easier to use than some of its rivals. Brian Pinker, an 82-year-old dialysis patient, received the first Oxford-AstraZeneca shot early Monday at Oxford University Hospital. While two doses are required to fully protect against COVID-19, both vaccines provide high levels of protection after the first dose, the committee said.