Coronavirus Vaccinations Could Begin 'Next Month', Announces Matt Hancock
Matt Hancock has said the NHS could start vaccinating people against coronavirus “next month”.
Speaking at the Downing Street press conference on Friday, the health secretary said the government had “formally” asked the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to assess the suitability of the Pfizer vaccine.
“If the regulator approves a vaccine, we will be ready to start the vaccination next month, with the bulk of the rollout in the new year,” he said.
“This is another important step forward in tackling this pandemic.
Hancock said the speed of the roll-out of a vaccine would depend on the speed it could be manufactured.
“We are heading in the right direction but there is still a long way to go.”
Hancock added that he has grown “more and more confident” that life will be closer to normal by spring.
The government said a further 511 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Friday, bringing the UK total to 54,286.
Hancock’s comments came following reports all adults in England could start to be vaccinated against Covid-19 before the end of January if supplies allow.
NHS England’s draft Covid-19 vaccine deployment programme, seen by the Health Service Journal (HSJ) and dated November 13, said every adult who wants a jab could be vaccinated by early April.
Pfizer together with its partner BionTech is expected to receive US approval for its vaccine within days.
The UK has ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer jab and expects 10 million doses by the end of the year.
It has also ordered 100 million doses of a vaccine from AstraZeneca and Oxford University, which has shown promising results in clinical trials and is due to report before Christmas, and five million doses of a jab from US firm Moderna, which is not expected to arrive until the spring.
The planning document from NHS England, according to the HSJ, relies on a range of assumptions including that there will be 75% take-up of the jab outside...
