London, Thanasis Gavos
The British government has ordered 114 million additional doses of coronavirus vaccines with an initial goal of being available in 2022 and 2023.
These are 60 million doses of Moderna vaccine and 54 million doses of Pfizer.
Health Minister Sajid Javid said the new market guarantees that the country will have several doses of vaccines in the long run, raising the prospect of a fourth boost to the population.
He noted that vaccines remain the best line of defense against COVID-19, with ten more Omicron cases reported in the UK, bringing the total to 32 (22 in England and ten in Scotland).
At the same time, the government announced the approval of a new anti-coronavirus antibody drug.
This is Sotrovimab, which will be released in the UK under the name Xevudy, a lawsuit by GSK and Vir Biitechnology,
The antibody cocktail is aimed at carriers with mild to moderate symptoms who are at high risk of serious disease.
Clinical trials have shown that a single dose of the drug reduces the risk of coronavirus hospitalization and death by 79% in high-risk adults with symptomatic infection.
The Regulatory Service for Medicines and Health Products recommends the administration of the medicine within five days from the onset of symptoms.
The government statement said it was too early to know if the drug was effective against the Omicron variant, although GSK argued that preclinical analysis showed that the treatment could be effective against the new variant.
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