BRITAIN has secured millions of doses of a second jab shown to stop Covid — raising experts’ hopes of “beating back” the pandemic.
US firm Moderna unveiled a vaccine effective in 94.5 per cent of cases only a week after giant Pfizer revealed one that protects nine in ten people.
Britain secures millions of doses of a second jab proven to protect against CovidNone of the 30,000-plus given the latest treatment fell seriously ill and it works just as well in the elderly, tests show.
Both jabs contain a snippet of the virus’s genetic code to trigger the body to make antibodies that fight the bug.
Moderna’s president Dr Stephen Hoge said: “You’ve now got two vaccines that are over 90 per cent effective. We have the tools necessary to finally beat this virus back.”
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the UK had secured five million Moderna jabs, enough for 2.5 million patients.
It will not be available in Europe until spring. Some 40million Pfizer jabs are on order, with ten million due before the end of the year.
Mr Hancock said last night: “Great advances in medical science are coming to the rescue. We can see that candle of hope.”
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said five million jabs were secured, enough for 2.5 million patients
U.S. firm Moderna’s vaccine is proven to be 94.5 per cent effective at protecting against Covid
Moderna’s president Dr Stephen Hoge said: ‘We have the tools necessary to finally beat this virus back’
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the RAF could fly Covid vaccines to the UK from factories abroad.
Dr Mary Ramsay of Public Health England said the most vulnerable would get the first jabs. She said at least half of Brits would have to be vaccinated to halt Covid’s spread.
- Health Secretary Matt Hancock refused yesterday to rule out making coronavirus vaccination compulsory.
