The UK has become the first country to sign a deal with a number of pharmaceutical companies for early access to COVID-19 vaccines. The first is with BioNTech and Pfizer, for 30 million doses.
The second deal, for 60 million doses, is with French firm Valneva. These are in addition to the 100 million doses of the Oxford University vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca.
Valneva, which has a factory in Livingston, Scotland, is developing an inactivated virus vaccine and the government is expected to contribute to the cost of clinical trials.
Funding is also being negotiated to expand the Scottish facility to allow production of up to 100 million doses for the UK and around the world.
The third deal is with AstraZeneca and it gives the UK a possible one million doses of a treatment with COVID-19 neutralizing antibodies which could be used to protect those who cannot be vaccinated, such as those who are immunocompromised.
Speaking during a visit to a school in Kent, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he cannot be "100% confident" that a corona virus vaccine will be available this year or next year.
"Obviously I'm hopeful, I've got my fingers crossed but to say that I'm 100% confident that we will get a vaccine this year - or indeed next year - is, alas, just an exaggeration, we are not there yet," he said.
The PM added: "It may be that the vaccine is going to come riding over the hill like the cavalry, but we just can't count on it right now."
Funding is also being negotiated to expand the Scottish facility to allow production of up to 100 million doses for the UK and around the world.
The third deal is with AstraZeneca and it gives the UK a possible one million doses of a treatment with COVID-19 neutralizing antibodies which could be used to protect those who cannot be vaccinated, such as those who are immunocompromised.
Speaking during a visit to a school in Kent, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he cannot be "100% confident" that a corona virus vaccine will be available this year or next year.
"Obviously I'm hopeful, I've got my fingers crossed but to say that I'm 100% confident that we will get a vaccine this year - or indeed next year - is, alas, just an exaggeration, we are not there yet," he said.
The PM added: "It may be that the vaccine is going to come riding over the hill like the cavalry, but we just can't count on it right now."
Meanwhile, the UK government has launched a website where people can register to take part in future vaccine studies.
The aim is to get 500,000 people signed up by October to enable large-scale studies to take place across the UK.
These studies, which would involve hundreds or thousands of volunteers, will help researchers better understand the effectiveness of each vaccine, speeding up efforts to discover what could be the key to stopping the pandemic.
The aim is to get 500,000 people signed up by October to enable large-scale studies to take place across the UK.
These studies, which would involve hundreds or thousands of volunteers, will help researchers better understand the effectiveness of each vaccine, speeding up efforts to discover what could be the key to stopping the pandemic.
