UK Government orders extra 40 million doses of Valneva vaccine

The UK Government has ordered an extra 40 million doses of the Valneva Covid-19 vaccine that is being manufactured in Scotland.

The move means 100 million doses of Valneva have now been put on order, enough for every adult in the UK, with the latest batch earmarked for delivery in 2022.

The Government has also retained options over a further 90 million doses for supply between 2023 and 2025.

Valneva said the total value of the entire order was up to 1.4bn euro (£1.24bn).

The vaccine is still in clinical trials, with the early-stage phase 1/2 study expected to read out within the next three months.

The jab is expected to be given as two doses and is being made at a site in West Lothian, with the Government saying the new deal “will bolster long-term vaccine production in Scotland”.

UK Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, said: “This latest deal is yet another weapon in our national arsenal against this terrible disease, and will ensure we have sufficient supplies to protect the British public in 2021 and beyond.

“Backed with major investment from the UK Government, Valneva’s site in Scotland will be a vaccine production powerhouse, working flat out to ensure we can quickly deploy jabs across the UK if their candidate is approved, while supporting top quality, local jobs.

“Thanks to our incredible UK Vaccine Taskforce, we have now secured a bumper portfolio of over 400 million vaccines, putting our country in an exceptionally strong position to defeat this virus once and for all.”

Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “If approved, Valneva’s vaccine will not only help tackle Covid-19 here in the UK, but aid our mission to ensure there is a fair supply of vaccines across the globe.

“No-one is safe till the whole world is safe.”

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “The Valneva vaccine showcases the best of Scottish expertise right at the heart of our UK vaccine endeavour, demonstrating the strength of our union and what the UK can achieve when it works together.

“If the vaccine is authorised by the health regulator, it will be rolled out across the four nations as quickly as possible.”

If it is approved, 60 million doses could start to be delivered to the UK by the second half of 2021.

On Sunday, International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said it is “too early” to determine when the UK will send vaccines abroad.

She said that “we first need to make sure that our population is vaccinated” but insisted it would be damaging to become a “vaccinated island” while other countries go without.

“It’s a bit too early to say about how we would deploy ‘XX’ vaccine, but we certainly want to work with friends and neighbours, we want to work with developing countries because we’re only going to solve this issue once everybody in the world is vaccinated,” Truss told Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday.