LONDON: Britain is in talks with AstraZeneca for additional doses of its COVID-19 vaccine that will have been modified to better target Beta coronavirus, health minister Matt Hancock said Wednesday.
The Beta coronavirus variant was first identified in South Africa.
Britain has previously secured 100 million doses of the vaccine, developed at the University of Oxford and licensed to AstraZeneca.
“We’ve started commercial negotiations with AstraZeneca to secure a variant vaccine: future supplies of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine that have been adapted to tackle the B.1.351 variant first identified in South Africa,” Hancock said in a speech at the university.
South Africa put use of AstraZeneca’s shot on hold in February after data showed it gave minimal protection against mild-to-moderate infection caused by the country’s dominant variant, now known as Beta.
Oxford considers the variant top priority for vaccine developers, and AstraZeneca has targeted the development of new vaccines against variants by the autumn.
Britain has committed to funding trials for the new adapted vaccine, which could be fast-tracked through the regulatory process following new guidance in March.
Hancock’s speech came before he hosts a summit of Group of Seven (G7) health ministers in Oxford, which starts on Thursday.
He said that Britain had hit the milestone of giving three-quarters of adults a first COVID-19 vaccine dose and nearly half the population has received two doses of vaccine.
Britain has so far reported 904 cases of the Beta variant in total.
By contrast, in South Africa there is an average of 3,745 new cases each day, and only around 1 million out of a target of 40 million people have received a COVID-19 vaccine.
Hancock did not say if the vaccines under negotiation would be donated or kept for use domestically.
Earlier AstraZeneca Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said he was working with governments on increasing their pledged vaccine donations through the COVAX vaccine-sharing mechanism.
Hancock said AstraZeneca, which has pledged not to make a profit from vaccines during the pandemic, had released half a billion doses of the shot for global supply so far.
Britain seeks extra AstraZeneca shots to combat Beta COVID-19 variant
https://arab.news/g8377
Britain seeks extra AstraZeneca shots to combat Beta COVID-19 variant
- "We've started commercial negotiations with AstraZeneca to secure a variant vaccine: future supplies of the Oxford AstraZeneca,” said UK’s health minister
- Oxford considers the variant top priority for vaccine developers
NATO chief talks Arctic security with Rubio amid US Greenland push
- Trump says controlling the mineral-rich island is crucial for US national security
- NATO has sought to deflect Washington’s interest in Greenland
BRUSSELS: NATO chief Mark Rutte on Friday discussed efforts to bolster Arctic security with US top diplomat Marco Rubio, after President Donald Trump insisted he wants to take control of Greenland.
The US leader has rattled allies by refusing to rule out using military force to take over the autonomous territory of fellow NATO member Denmark.
Trump says controlling the mineral-rich island is crucial for US national security given the rising threat of Russia and China in the Arctic.
NATO has sought to deflect Washington’s interest in Greenland by emphasising steps it is taking to bolster security in the region.
A NATO spokeswoman said Rutte spoke with Rubio “on the importance of the Arctic to our shared security and how NATO is working to enhance our capabilities in the High North.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that an armed US attack to take Greenland could spell the end for the 76-year-old Western military alliance.
But the head of NATO’s forces in Europe, US General Alexus Grynkewich, said Friday the alliance was far from being in “a crisis,” following President Donald Trump’s threats.
