UK vaccinating 140 people per minute

GBNEWS24 DESK//

Britain’s vaccine rollout is limited by a “lumpy” manufacturing process with production changes by Pfizer and a delay by AstraZeneca that could lead to brief supply disruption, Vaccine Deployment Minister Nadhim Zahawi said on Monday.

The United Kingdom, which has the world’s fifth worst official Covid-19 death toll, is racing to be among the first major countries to vaccinate its population – seen as the best way to exit the pandemic and get the economy going again.

The UK has vaccinated 3,857,266 people with a first dose and 449,736 with a second dose. On vaccines administered per 100 people, the UK is fourth in the world after Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Zahawi told LBC radio that the UK was hoping for 2 million vaccines a week from AstraZeneca but that those numbers will not be reached until mid February. Still, he said the UK was on course to hit its rollout targets.

“It’s been a bit lumpy,” Zahawi said of vaccine manufacture.

Pfizer will temporarily reduce its deliveries to Europe of its vaccine against Covid-19 while it upgrades its production capacity.

“There’s bound to be delays. Any new manufacturing process has challenges at the outset, it is lumpy, it begins to stabilise and get better and better week in, week out,” Zahawi told the BBC.

“The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine is a messenger RNA chemical, difficult chemical to manufacture, very very challenging but they’re doing really well, they want to do more which is why they’re reconfiguring to add volume to the whole world,” Zahawi said.

“That could delay supply but I’m confident we can meet our target.”