It is hoped the new battle plan will bolster the UK s sluggish vaccination programme and boost chances of immunising 13million people and ending lockdown by March.
Updated: 7 Jan 2021, 11:57
A THIRD Covid jab could be given the green light within weeks, helping to accelerate the mass vaccination programme.
The Government has ordered 30million doses of the single-dose Janssen vaccine - developed by pharma giants Johnson & Johnson.
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The MHRA wants to cut Covid vaccine batch testing from 20 days to around four or fiveCredit: PA:Press Association
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Approval of Covid vaccine batches will be cut from 20 days to just four or fiveCredit: PA:Press Association
It comes as testing of current Covid vaccine batches is set to be accelerated from 20 days to just five to get jabs out more quickly across the UK.
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Safety review of epilepsy medicines in pregnancy – women who may become pregnant urged to discuss treatment options with their
Lamotrigine (Lamictal) and levetiracetam (Keppra) have been found to be safer than other antiepileptic drugs in pregnancy. The MHRA advises patients not to stop taking their current medicines without first discussing it with a healthcare professional.
The review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency examined safety data for risks of major birth defects or abnormalities and concerns with the child’s development including learning and thinking abilities for other key antiepileptic drugs. It found that a number of these epilepsy medicines may be associated with some increased risks in pregnancy.
Britain has vaccinated 1.3million people in just under a month. but the target is two million a week.
That s the rate needed to protect the four most vulnerable groups by February 15 – including everyone over 70.
Boris Johnson has blamed regulators for the sluggish start, warning that their strict protocols have limited how quickly the vaccine programme can be accelerated.
The Business Secretary, Alok Sharma, had promised in May that 30million doses of the vaccine from Oxford and AstraZeneca would be ready by September. Now, four months on from that deadline, our stocks are still falling short of the target two million a week.
Last modified on Wed 6 Jan 2021 12.57 EST
“We have our target set,” tweeted the vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi on Monday. Minutes earlier, Boris Johnson had tasked the NHS with delivering 13.9 million Covid vaccines by mid-February, requiring the administration of around 2 million doses a day. “It is achievable,” said Prof Nilay Shah, the head of Imperial College London’s chemical engineering department, “but everything needs to go right every single day.”
Here are some of the key issues in the biggest immunisation programme Britain has ever embarked on.
Manufacturing
Two companies are manufacturing the newly-approved Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, grown from cells in their specialised laboratories and processed in top-of-the range manufacturing suites: Oxford Biomedica, and Cobra Biologics based at Keele University. Oxford Biomedica, which is producing the largest quantity, is working 24/7 shifts and its staff were at work over Christmas and the New Year to get suppl