Despite Keir Starmer’s attempts to coax Boris Johnson into committing to a variety of economic measures, Prime Minister’s Questions brought with it little clarity on what will be in next month’s Budget. However, Johnson was more forthcoming when it came to vaccines.
Vaccine orders go well beyond the number of doses required to vaccinate the entire adult population
Following recent comments from ministers and government scientists over the likelihood of a booster shot being required to protect the public against new variants, Johnson said the public would need to ‘get used to the idea of vaccinating and then revaccinating in the autumn, as we come to face these new variants.’ He pointed to a deal with pharmaceutical firm Curevac for 50 million doses that he said would help the UK to develop vaccines against new strains ‘at scale’.
The idea of multiple vaccinations has been floating for some time. While this is the first time Johnson has been so upfront on the issue, the actions of the government have suggested that this is a long-term project. Vaccine orders go well beyond the number of doses required to vaccinate the entire adult population. Meanwhile, orders have been made for vaccines that won’t be available for some time. The contract for Wockhardt UK – the Wrexham factory that provides ‘fill and finish’ services for the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine – has been extended until at least Aug 2022
The idea of repeated vaccinations is fairly uncontroversial across the parliamentary party. However, that is so long as the vast majority of restrictions go by the summer.
Tory MPs support vaccination being used to treat coronavirus like seasonal flu. Where there is concern is if ‘normal life’ starts to become contingent not just on the over-50s receiving two shots but also a booster shot and so forth. These MPs hope the Prime Minister will clarify the government’s coronavirus strategy when he sets out his roadmap out of lockdown later this month.
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