Health & Fitness UK orders two million more doses of Moderna vaccine

Another two million doses of a coronavirus vaccine which trials suggest is 95 per cent effective have been ordered by the Government.

© Provided by The i A syringe and a bottle reading "Vaccine Covid-19" next to the Moderna biotech company logo (Photo: JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images)

It brings the total number of jabs on order from the US firm Moderna to seven million – enough for around 3.5 million people in the UK.

The vaccine has yet to be approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), but doses could begin being delivered next spring, if it meets the standards.

Interim data suggests the jab is highly effective in preventing people getting ill and may work across all age groups, including the elderly.

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Following the latest deal, Britain has access to enough doses of Moderna 's vaccine candidate for around 3.5 million people. "With a wide range of vaccine candidates in our portfolio, we stand ready to deploy a vaccine should they receive approval from our medicines regulator, starting with those

The government has secured an additional two million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine , which trials suggest has a 95% effectiveness. The total number of Moderna vaccine doses on order from the US pharmaceutical company is now seven million - enough for 3.5 million people in the UK .

© Provided by The i A researcher works in a lab run by Moderna Inc, who said November 16, 2020 that its experimental vaccine was 94.5 per cent effective in preventing COVID-19 (Photo: MODERNA INC Provider: via REUTERS)

‘Hedging bets’ on rival vaccines

The UK had hedged its bets earlier in the pandemic by placing orders for more than 340 million total doses of various vaccine candidates, which would more cover the entire population several times over. However, fewer than half of these doses are for the three vaccines that now appear set for an imminent roll-out.

The UK placed orders for 100 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine – enough to vaccinate most of the population at two doses per person – with rollout expected in the coming weeks if the jab is approved by the MHRA. However, questions linger over its lower effectiveness compared to the other two candidates, and further research has been ordered.

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Britain has secured an additional two million doses of Moderna 's COVID-19 vaccine candidate, the government said in a statement on Sunday. "With a wide range of vaccine candidates in our portfolio, we stand ready to deploy a vaccine should they receive approval from our medicines

There have been more than 54 million coronavirus cases and 1.3 million deaths across the world The UK has secured five million doses of the vaccine , enough to vaccinate 2 .5 million people The news that two vaccines being tested have shown a success rate of 90% or more have sent stock

The country also has orders for 40 million doses of the jab from Pfizer and BioNTech, which has been shown to be 95 per cent effective, but the requirement to store it at extremely cold temperatures presents barriers to a wide-scale roll-out.

The Moderna vaccine is more effective than the Oxford vaccine and presents less of an infrastructure challenge than Pfizer’s, but the UK had ordered no doses of it in advance of the results from its trial. After an initial rushed agreement for five million doses, the second deal with Moderna announced Sunday secures a further two million for use in the UK.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “Every week, we are getting more positive news about the range of vaccines in development, and thanks to the work of our taskforce the UK has pre-ordered more hundreds of millions of doses from those companies most advanced in their work.

“This includes buying a further two million doses of Moderna’s vaccine, on top of the five million we’ve already secured.

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Britain has secured 5 million doses of an experimental COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moderna Inc after it reported positive trial results, health minister Matt Hancock said on Monday, with the earliest doses expected for delivery in spring. Interim data from a late-stage trial indicated Moderna 's

Vaccine could be delivered to the UK from Spring 2021. If it meets robust standards of safety and effectiveness and approved by the medicines regulator, the vaccine could be delivered to the UK and Europe as early as Spring 2021 with the potential for the government to procure more doses next year.

“With a wide range of vaccine candidates in our portfolio, we stand ready to deploy a vaccine should they receive approval from our medicines regulator, starting with those who will benefit most.”

Essential to ‘bolster portfolio’ of available vaccines

Guidance issued by Public Health England on Friday prepared healthcare workers for the prospect that different vaccines could be deployed in different locations based on “locally available” supplies.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: “It is essential that we continue to bolster our portfolio of vaccine candidates to ensure we’re in the best possible position to protect the public once we see that breakthrough.

“The UK was one of the first countries in Europe to sign a deal with Moderna, and I’m delighted we have been able to secure a further two million doses of their promising candidate for the British public.”

And Kate Bingham, who chairs the Government’s Vaccine Taskforce, said: “Since its inception in June, one of the most important stated aims of the Vaccines Taskforce has been to secure access to the most promising vaccines across a broad range of technologies – thereby increasing the chances of having a safe and effective prevention as soon as possible against Covid 19.

“Moderna’s vaccine was an important addition to our portfolio and securing an additional two million doses further adds to the protection we can provide to the public to end the pandemic.”