A British made Covid vaccine could be available by early 2021.
The Health Secretary Matt Hancock told LBC radio that production of the UK’s batch of AstraZeneca vaccines, which has been developed in collaboration with researchers at Oxford University, had already begun, well ahead of any approval being granted.
He said: “We have got 30 million doses already contracted with AstraZeneca, in fact they are starting to manufacture those doses already, ahead of approval, so that should approval come through – and it’s still not certain but it is looking up – should that approval come through then we are ready to roll out.
The vaccine has not been approved for use and is still undergoing trials in the UK, Brazil and South Africa.
The vaccine is delivered via a chimpanzee virus, called the vaccine vector, which contains the genetic code of the protein spikes found on the coronavirus. It is hoped that they will trigger a strong immune response.
