Britain aims to complete “tens of millions” of Covid-19 vaccines in the next three months, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday.
Speaking to the BBC, Johnson said: “We hope we can make tens of millions [of Covid-19 vaccines] in the next three months, I can definitely give you that figure, ”he said.
Johnson said that this strategy relied on three vaccines, the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine and the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccines – both approved in the UK – and the Moderna vaccine which would be ready for use. soon. ”
In response to what he said last October, the Prime Minister said: “Before the spring I thought things would get better. I’m sticking to that. ”
Asked about the number of doses of the Oxford / AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, approved by UK regulators on Wednesday, Johnson said 530,000 doses would be ready for inclusion on Monday, in addition to “a million or so. so ”Pfizer / BioNTechCovid -19 vaccine already released.
Earlier on Sunday, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Twitter that the country had delivered 1 million Pfizer / BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines, saying “the end is in sight.”
UK reviews vaccine guidelines: Last week, top UK medical officials issued revised advice on the recommended interval between vaccine doses for the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.
Although UK regulators had previously recommended that a second dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine be given three weeks after the first dose, UK medical officials this week advised that it could be given between 3 to 12 weeks after the first dose. Similarly, the second dose of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine authorized in the UK can be given 4 to 12 weeks after the first, according to the recommendations.
In a letter to healthcare professionals, top medical officials defended their decision to extend the transition period for patients waiting to receive the second dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, saying Thursday that the decision was made based on their risk balance of risks and benefits. .
The British Medical Association said the move was “extremely unfair” to thousands of at-risk patients across the country.
Pfizer says it has no data to confirm that just one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine would provide protection against the disease after more than 21 days.