Fourth coronavirus vaccine could be approved in UK as Portsmouth ramps up efforts to tackle Covid-19

A FOURTH Covid-19 vaccine could be approved for use in the UK within weeks as late-stage trials suggested it was 89 per cent effective in preventing coronavirus.

By Tom Cotterill

Published 29th Jan 2021, 08:34 BST

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The UK has secured 60 million doses of the Novavax jab which is believed to offer protection against the new UK and South African variants.

It was shown to be 89.3 per cent effective at preventing coronavirus in participants in its Phase 3 clinical trial in the UK, which involved more than 15,000 people aged between 18-84, of which 27 per cent were older than 65, Novavax said.

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A healthcare worker fills a syringe with a dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine at Pentlands Medical Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland, as the government continues to ramp up the vaccination programme against Covid-19. Photo: PA

A healthcare worker fills a syringe with a dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine at Pentlands Medical Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland, as the government continues to ramp up the vaccination programme against Covid-19. Photo: PA

The vaccine will now be assessed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed, as he thanked volunteers who made the results possible.

Stan Erck, chief executive of Novavax, told the BBC the manufacturing plant in Stockton-on-Tees should be up and running by March or April, with the company hoping to get approval for the vaccine from the MHRA around the same time.

It comes as Portsmouth’s vaccine hub at St James’ Hospital, in Milton, prepares to open in the next few weeks.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the NHS stands ready to roll out the vaccine if it is approved, which he said would provide a ‘significant boost to our vaccination programme and another weapon in our arsenal to beat this awful virus’.

The chairman of the government’s Vaccine Taskforce, Clive Dix, said the results were ‘spectacular’, adding: ‘The efficacy shown against the emerging variants is also extremely encouraging.

‘This is an incredible achievement that will ensure we can protect individuals in the UK and the rest of the world from this virus.’

The jab has shown around 60 per cent effectiveness against the South African variant, which has been worrying scientists due to concerns vaccines may not work against it, but it offered 86 per cent protection against the new UK strain.

Two vaccines have already been rolled out in the UK – from Pfizer and Oxford/AstraZeneca – while a third from Moderna has been approved for use.

The Novavax jab would be delivered in the second half of 2021 if it receives MHRA approval.

SEE ALSO: Portsmouth unveils bold plans for a ‘brighter and happier’ city

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