UK secures access to 90 million doses of 'promising' coronavirus vaccine

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The UK Government has secured early access to 90 million vaccine doses to protect the UK from coronavirus.

In addition, treatments containing Covid-19-neutralising antibodies have been secured to protect those who cannot receive vaccines.

The vaccine doses are from the BioNTech/Pfizer alliance and Valneva while the antibodies have been secured from AstraZeneca.

The public are being urged to sign up to a new NHS website to make it quicker and easier for potential volunteers to join vital studies that could help save lives – the aim is to get 500,000 people signed up by October.


Announced by Business Secretary Alok Sharma today, the Government has agreed significant partnerships with leading pharmaceutical and vaccine companies BioNTech/Pfizer and Valneva that are developing innovative new vaccines to protect people against Covid-19.
The Government has also secured access to treatments containing Covid-19-neutralising antibodies from AstraZeneca to protect those who cannot receive vaccines such as cancer and immunocompromised patients.

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland could have access to enough doses to vaccinate and protect priority groups such as frontline health and social care workers and those at increased health risk.

The Government has now secured access to three different types of Covid-19 vaccines that are being developed here and around the world.

This news gives the UK the most likely chance of getting access to a safe and effective vaccine at the quickest speed.