UK Government Secures Early Access to Millions of COVID-19 Vaccine Doses

The United Kingdom government has secured early access to 90 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from the BioNTech/Pfizer alliance and Valneva, with plans to include more promising vaccines in a new portfolio, it was revealed in a July 20, 2020 press release.

Alok Sharma, the business secretary for the UK, announced the partnership between the government and BioNTech/Pfizer and Valneva, and also revealed that the government has secured access to treatments containing COVID-19-neutralizing antibodies from AstraZeneca. As a result of these partnerships, the four nations of the UK (England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland) may have sufficient doses to vaccinate and protect priority groups.

Furthermore, the government has launched a new online service where members of the public can register their interest and be contacted to participate in clinical studies. The National Health Service (NHS) COVID-19 vaccine research registry is aimed at helping to speed up clinical efforts in the discovery of a safe and effective vaccine. To enable large-scale vaccine studies to take place across the UK, the aim is to get 500,000 people signed up by October.

“The hunt to find a vaccine is a truly global endeavor and we are doing everything we can to ensure the British public get access to a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine as soon as possible,” said Sharma in the press release. “This new partnership with some of the world’s foremost pharmaceutical and vaccine companies will ensure the UK has the best chance possible of securing a vaccine that protects those most at risk. The public can also play their part in vaccine research through the new NHS vaccine research register. By signing up and participating in important clinical studies, together we can speed up the search for a vaccine and end the pandemic sooner.”

Source: Gov.uk