The government has signed new contracts to secure the supply of
our vaccine stock to future proof the country’s vaccine
programme.
The new contracts with Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna were
accelerated in light of the new variant, as part of the ongoing
efforts to ensure the government is doing everything it can while
scientists across the world learn more about Omicron. These
future supply deals include access to modified vaccines if they
are needed to combat Omicron and future Variants of Concern, to
prepare for all eventualities.
The agreements signed through the Vaccine Taskforce are building
on existing partnerships with the vaccine companies, and will see
the government procure a total of 114 million additional doses of
the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for 2022 and 2023. This
is in addition to the 35 million additional doses of
Pfizer/BioNTech ordered in August for delivery in the second half
of next year, and the 60 million Novavax and 7.5 million
GSK/Sanofi doses expected in 2022.
Following the emergence of the new variant, the Health and Social
Care Secretary asked the Joint Committee on Vaccination and
Immunisation (JCVI) for rapid advice on extending the booster
programme to all those aged 18 and over. The advice was accepted
this week, with operational plans being set out to speed up the
vaccine programme and offer all eligible adults in England a
vaccine by the end of January.
To speed up the vaccination programme, around 400 military
personnel will be drafted in to support deployment, with 1,500
community pharmacy sites, additional hospital hubs, and pop-up
sites opening in convenient locations across the country. More
than 3,000 sites are already open in England - more than double
the number in February. The government already has enough supply
of both Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech for the expanded booster
programme, and the new deal makes sure we will continue to have
the supplies we need moving forward.
Health and Social Care Secretary said:
“Thanks to the Vaccines Taskforce, we have an excellent track
record of securing the vaccines the country needs to keep this
virus at bay.
“These new deals will future proof the Great British vaccination
effort – which has so far delivered more than 115 million first,
second and booster jabs across the UK – and will ensure we can
protect even more people in the years ahead.
“This is a national mission and our best weapon to deal with this
virus and its variants is to get jabs in arms – so when you are
called forward, get the jab and get boosted.”
For the booster programme, the JCVI has advised that mRNA
vaccines are offered made by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.
Data from the CoV-Boost trial indicate that booster doses of
COVID-19 vaccines are generally well tolerated and provide a
substantial increase in vaccine-induced immune responses. In
particular, mRNA vaccines provide a strong booster effect.
As well as ensuring we have supply to protect the public in this
country, the UK remains committed to donating 100
million doses to countries in need by mid-2022. We
will have donated more than 30 million vaccines by
the end of 2021 and have announced plans for donations
totalling 70 million doses so far.
We will continue to work to ensure that any vaccine that the UK
does not need is reallocated to other nations who require it
wherever possible.
The latest data shows why boosters are so vital. The most recent
evidence from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies
(SAGE) shows that protection against symptomatic disease from the
Delta variant falls from 65%, up to 3 months after the second
dose, to 45% 6 months after the second dose for the
Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, and from 90% to 65% for the
Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Protection against hospitalisation falls
from 95% to 75% for Oxford/AstraZeneca and 99% to 90% for
Pfizer/BioNTech.
The first UK real world study from the UK Health Security Agency
published in November showed that boosters give over 90%
protection against symptomatic COVID-19 in adults over 50,
reinforcing how vital the boosters are keeping people safe ahead
of winter.
These findings show that two weeks after receiving a booster
dose, protection against symptomatic infection in adults aged 50
years and over was 93.1% in those with Oxford/AstraZeneca as
their primary course and 94.0% for Pfizer/BioNTech.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
The UK government has secured early access to 453.5 million
vaccine doses through supply agreements with six separate vaccine
developers.
- This includes total agreements from inception to future
delivery.
- This includes 60m Novavax doses and 7.5m GSK/Sanofi doses,
neither of which have yet been regulated.
- We have already announced that we are donating 70m doses
consisting of 50m AZ doses and all 20m of our contracted Janssen
doses.
