The United Kingdom began deploying the The Modern Vaccine Inc. Wednesday, strengthening Britain’s Covid-19 vaccination program amid concerns over AstraZeneca Plc shot and dose deficit this month.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Moderna’s shot would be offered first in West Wales. It is the third approved vaccine offered in Britain, along with shots from AstraZeneca and partners Pfizer Inc. i BioNTech SE and its release is about two weeks ahead of schedule.
The UK has ordered 17 million doses of Moderna’s two-shot vaccine, enough for 8.5 million people.
The success of the vaccine program is crucial to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s ambition to completely reopen the UK economy on 21 June. On Tuesday he tried to reassure people about the Astra vaccine amid concerns remaining in Europe over possible side effects.
Childhood vaccination later emerged in a study on the trait developed by Astra and Oxford University have been stopped while the UK drug regulator investigates rare cases of blood clots in adults. There were no safety issues in the child trial, Oxford said.
“There is still no evidence that there is any causal link in the very, very rare occasions when blood clots have been discussed,” Small Business Minister Paul Scully told Sky News on Wednesday. “The AstraZeneca vaccine is safe; it has saved thousands of lives. “
Visitors enter the Covid-19 vaccination center in London in February.
Photographer: Jason Alden / Bloomberg
‘On the track’
The government has insisted it is on track to achieve its goal of vaccinating all adults by the end of July, despite a dose reduction this April and a potentially slower pace than expected in the coming months. “From what I can see, everything points to staying on target,” Scully said.
Vaccination centers and pharmacies face “Significant reduction” in supply during April, NHS England warned last month, meaning older people waiting for second doses will be prioritized over younger people receiving the first shot. .
The Cabinet Office estimates that the pace of deployment across England is 2.7 million weekly doses on average through the end of July, “considerably slower” than the previous forecast of 3.2 million weekly, according to a modeling document of scientists from a government advisory committee released Monday.
Johnson’s official spokesman, Jamie Davies, said the government “never talked about details about supplies and deliveries” of vaccines.
A modern Covid-19 vaccine vial.
Photographer: Nathan Laine / Bloomberg
“There will be a slight reduction in April, but the most important thing to remember is that that doesn’t mean we’re not on track to meet our commitments,” Davies told reporters Tuesday. The UK continues “on track” to offer a first dose to all over-50s on April 15 and to all adults in late July, he said.
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The release of the filming of Moderna in the UK is earlier than expected. Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi told the BBC on Tuesday that it would move “towards the third week of April”.
Three out of five adults in the UK have been vaccinated so far, Hancock said on Twitter. The most recent government data show that more than 31.6 million people have received a first dose and 5.5 million have had a second dose.
During a visit to an Astra manufacturing plant in Macclesfield, in the north-west of England, Johnson urged people to listen to the medicines and Health care Products Regulatory Agency, the UK drug driver.
“His advice to people is to keep going out there, get your jab, get your second jab,” he said.
– With the assistance of Kitty Donaldson
(Adds a comment from the minister on the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the sixth paragraph.)