Britain plans 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 to be able to make tens of millions [of Covid-19 vaccines] in the next three months, I can certainly give that value, ”he added.
Johnson said that this strategy was based on three vaccines, the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine and the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccines – both approved in the UK – and the Modern vaccine that would be ready for use “soon”.
The prime minister, echoing what he said in October last year, said: “I thought things would be better by spring. I’ll take that. “
Asked about the number of doses of the Oxford / AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, which was approved by UK regulators on Wednesday, Johnson said that 530,000 doses would be ready to be inoculated on Monday, in addition to “about one million “Pfizer / BioNTechCovid 19 vaccine already distributed.
Earlier on Sunday, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Twitter that the country administered 1 million Pfizer / BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines, saying “the end is near”.
The UK reviews the vaccine guidance: Last week, UK medical directors issued revised advice on the recommended interval between doses of the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.
While UK regulators had previously recommended that a second dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine be given three weeks after the first dose, doctors in the UK reported this week that it can be administered between 3 to 12 weeks after the first dose. Likewise, the second dose of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine recently authorized by the United Kingdom can be administered 4 to 12 weeks after the first, according to the recommendations.
In a letter to healthcare professionals, medical directors defended their decision to extend the interval for patients waiting to receive their second dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, saying Thursday that the decision was made based on their assessed balance of risks and benefits.
The British Medical Association said the measure was “grossly unfair” for thousands of patients at risk across the country.
Pfizer says it has no data to demonstrate that just a single dose of its Covid-19 vaccine would provide protection against the disease after more than 21 days.