Portsmouth scientists are playing a critical role in Britain's coronavirus vaccination effort

BRITAIN’S business secretary has championed the pivotal role played by Portsmouth scientists in delivering the coronavirus vaccine to millions and insisted: ‘Without them, things would have been very difficult.’
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Kwasi Kwarteng said the herculean efforts by specialists at the city's Pall Corporation’s laboratories had been crucial in turning the tide in the war against coronavirus, as infections continue to fall nationwide.

For almost a year, scientists based at the research firm’s HQ in North Harbour have been working tirelessly to develop a hi-tech ‘recipe’ to mass produce vaccines.

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Teams worked out how to create, store and deliver massive quantities of vaccines, which have since been rolled out worldwide by the likes of AstraZeneca, Novavax and Valneva.

Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng picture, centre, visiting scientists at Portsmouth-based Pall Corporation on Wednesday, February 17, as he called on businesses to continue to do all they can to support the vaccine rollout.Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng picture, centre, visiting scientists at Portsmouth-based Pall Corporation on Wednesday, February 17, as he called on businesses to continue to do all they can to support the vaccine rollout.
Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng picture, centre, visiting scientists at Portsmouth-based Pall Corporation on Wednesday, February 17, as he called on businesses to continue to do all they can to support the vaccine rollout.

Scientists are also seek new ways to expand their operation to build more machines capable of growing large batches of doses, with a large vat of vaccine concentrate – capable of inoculating 100,000 people – at the site.

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Speaking to The News about during his stop at Pall’s Portsmouth labs, Mr Kwarteng said: ‘It’s very clear to me that without Pall’s contribution it would have been very difficult to get the rollout of the vaccine in the way that we have, where more than 15 million people have already been vaccinate… It’s a great British success story.’

Pall’s director of cell and gene therapy, Clive Glover, said his team had been working tirelessly since the start of the outbreak but admitted he was taken aback by what they had achieved.

Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng pictured visiting scientists at Portsmouth-based Pall Corporation on Wednesday, February 17, as he called on businesses to continue to do all they can to support the vaccine rollout. Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng pictured visiting scientists at Portsmouth-based Pall Corporation on Wednesday, February 17, as he called on businesses to continue to do all they can to support the vaccine rollout.
Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng pictured visiting scientists at Portsmouth-based Pall Corporation on Wednesday, February 17, as he called on businesses to continue to do all they can to support the vaccine rollout.
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‘We are an industry well-known for innovation and scientific endeavour, but what we’ve achieved over the past 12 months has been extraordinary,’ he added.

‘Everyone involved – from the life sciences businesses like Pall Corporation that support production, to the biopharmaceutical companies, to the UK government – we all have elevated our collective efforts to meet the Covid-19 vaccine challenge.’

Mr Kwarteng was given a tour of Pall’s North Habour HQ before visiting the company’s nearby manufacturing facility in Walton Road, Drayton.

As well as championing the efforts of the city scientists, the cabinet minister also issued a fresh rallying cry to businesses to ‘continue to support’ the nation’s vaccination fight.

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‘Businesses and their workers have shown an indomitable spirit and leadership that will help us to defeat this virus, and I urge all businesses, no matter how big or small, to join us and do what they can as we reach the next stage of the rollout,’ he said.

The plea came amid reports businesses were drawing up contracts which would force employees to receive a coronavirus jab to continue working.

Mr Kwarteng insisted this idea – widely condemned by lawyers as being unfair and discriminatory – was not backed by the government.

‘It would be my strong inclination not to have a compulsory situation where everybody has to be vaccinated,’ he said, adding: ‘There’s no plan for a vaccine passport.’

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The business secretary’s statement comes just days before prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to reveal the government’s latest ‘roadmap' to ease Britain out of lockdown.

The PM is due to unveil the programme on Monday. It is expected to see school pupils returning to class on March 8, with shops, universities and further education sites back in action in late April.

Meanwhile, leisure and sports facilities are earmarked to open in early May.

Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan warned it was ‘critical the government ensured clarity’ over its lockdown easing strategy and that businesses got the 'support they need to get back on their feet’.

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He has since written to the business secretary voicing his concerns and urging him to provide more support to the nation’s wedding industry which he claimed was ‘on the brink of collapse’.

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