[ad_1]
The Department of Health said on Sunday it had increased its order for a vaccine developed by the Modern American company from 5 million doses to 7 million doses, enough for 3.5 million people.
The Moderna vaccine is expected to be sent to the UK medicines and health products regulatory agency soon, to see if it is safe and effective. Two other vaccines – one developed by Pfizer and the German company BioNTech, the other by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca – are already being evaluated by the regulator, the final phase before being implemented.
Britain has ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine and 100 million doses of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine.
Hospitals in England have been told they could receive their first doses of Pfizer vaccine as early as the week of December 7 if it receives approval, the Guardian and the Financial Times reported. The US vaccination program also hopes to start inoculating some Americans in December.
The government says frontline health workers and nursing home residents will be the first to be vaccinated, followed by the elderly, starting with those over 80. The plan is to reduce the age and risk ranges until all 18 and older have been vaccinated.
Peter Openshaw, Professor of Experimental Medicine at Imperial College London, said he “wouldn’t be too surprised if an announcement is made within the next two weeks, possibly as early as next week.”
According to a government planning document, non-medical personnel, including volunteer rescuers, have already been trained to perform the shots, which will be administered at approximately 1,000 community vaccination centers and 40 to 50 large-scale facilities in stadiums and at conference venues.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said officials hope to vaccinate “the vast majority of people who need maximum protection by Easter.”
Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Johnson said a vaccine launch could be “just days away”. But he said there would be no quick end to the onerous restrictions on business and daily life that were imposed to curb the spread of the virus.
“There are still many weeks and months before we can be completely sure that we can vaccinate enough people in the country, and then remove enough targets for the virus in order to defeat the disease,” he wrote.
A four-week national lockdown in England is expected to end on Wednesday and will be replaced by a three-tier system of regional measures. The vast majority of the country is placed in the upper two tiers, which means that most people will be prevented from meeting with friends in the home, pubs and restaurants still face restrictions and everything from grand weddings to choir practices is been banned.
Pfizer and BioNTech say their vaccine is 95% effective, according to preliminary data. It must be stored in extremely cold temperatures of around minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94 Fahrenheit). The Moderna vaccine, which also needs to be stored at freezing temperatures, was also about 95 percent effective in clinical trials, the company said.
The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine can be stored at conventional refrigerator temperatures, making its distribution much easier and is also cheaper than its main rivals. But some scientists have questioned the gaps in the reported results.
Oxford and AstraZeneca reported this week that their vaccine appeared to be 62% effective in people who received two doses and 90% when volunteers were given a half dose followed by a full dose. They said half the dose was administered due to a manufacturing error and they plan a new clinical trial to investigate the most effective dosing regimen.
Full data from the Oxford-AstraZeneca study is expected to be published soon and may answer some of the questions about the vaccine.
Openshaw said he would be happy to receive any approved vaccines.
“If my GP calls me and says ‘I have an approved vaccine,’ I don’t really care what it is,” he told the BBC.
Source link
