Matt Hancock hails ‘good news’ on the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine
The UK, Canada and Chile have ordered the highest number of vaccine doses relative to population sizes according to new research. The UK has ordered 367 million doses of seven of the most promising coronavirus vaccines, three of which have been approved for use thus far. But why exactly has Britain ordered so many vaccines?
The UK has ordered the following number of vaccines:
- Oxford-AstraZeneca: 100m
- Valneva: 60m
- Novavax: 60m
- GlaxoSmithKline: 60m
- Pfizer-BioNTech: 40m
- Janssen/Johnson & Johnson: 30m
- Moderna: 17m
This equates to more than five doses per person in the UK, which is a sharp contrast to the orders made in other developing countries.
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Approved vaccines currently being used
The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is being rolled out in the UK after getting approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on December 30.
The vaccine works by smuggling the coronavirus gene into human cells to make the spike protein, which has the unique signature of Covid-19.
This helps to boost the immune system to build up a response in case the real virus enters the body.
The Oxford vaccine is considered to be between 62 and 90 percent effective.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has also been approved and is being delivered in the UK.
The vaccine is shown to be 95 percent effective and requires refrigeration up to -70C.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was approved for use on December 2 last year and uses mRNA technology which introduces a messenger sequence which contains the genetic instructions for the vaccinated person’s own cells to produce the antigens and create an immune response.
This jab technology is known as mRNA and is considered as the new method.
Approved vaccine yet to be distributed
The Moderna vaccine was approved for use earlier this month, but doses will not be available until the spring.
This delay is because the vaccine is being manufactured in the US at first and it will take several months before facilities in Europe will be ready to distribute.
The vaccine must be kept at temperatures of -20C and is shown to be around 92 percent effective.
The Pfizer vaccine uses the mRNA technology, which is the same as the Pfizer jab.
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Phase three trials
The Novavax vaccine is currently being assessed by the MHRA and could be approved for use in the UK within weeks.
This jab is a new kind of vaccine and instead of injecting the genetic material, it is the protein itself.
The Novavax vaccine has been found to be 89 percent effective in preventing Covid-19.
This vaccine has not yet received approval from the MHRA, which could take several weeks.
Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi was injected with the Novavax as part of the trial and was shown to be 89.3 percent effective in preventing coronavirus in participants.
The Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine phase three clinical study results are expected to be available later in January or early February.
This vaccine is different from others as it is a single-shot vaccine which has been found to be 85 percent effective in preventing the most serious Covid-19 symptoms and 66 percent effective at preventing moderate to severe illness.
Phase one/two trials
The GSK or Sanofi Pasteur vaccine is currently undergoing its phase one and two clinical trials.
Interim results of early phases of the trial showed an immune response comparable to patients who recovered from Covid-19 in adults aged 18 to 49 years.
But results reveal a low immune response in older adults.
The Valneva vaccine is currently in the midst of phase one and two clinical trials.
This jab is classified as an inactivated whole virus vaccine which contains genetic material which has been destroyed by heat, chemicals or radiation.
This means they cannot infect cells and replicate, but can still trigger an immune response.
Why has the UK ordered more doses than it needs?
There is no guarantee any particular vaccine will succeed and in addition, before the vaccine trials were completed and the jabs were approved, there was no timeframe for when the vaccine would be readily available.
Instead of supporting a single vaccine entirely, many countries opted to spread their support among different vaccines to have the best option at vaccinating a nation’s population successfully.
Alex Harris, head of global policy at the Wellcome Trust told the BMJ the UK is likely to need more than one vaccine because efficacy profiles and other characteristics may vary in different population segments.
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