Boris Johnson Archives - Medical Design Sourcing

UK ramps up booster program to confront surge in COVID-19 cases

Boris Johnson

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that the country will accelerate its coronavirus vaccination booster initiative to fight a “tidal wave” of cases resulting from the infectious Omicron variant.

Johnson acknowledged that two doses of vaccine were unlikely sufficient to fight off the recent surge in infections, which hit the second-highest level in the UK since the pandemic began.

In an interview with Sky News, Johnson reported that at least one individual infected with the Omicron variant had died. In the UK, roughly 10 people with the variant have been hospitalized to date.

To date, the country has confirmed 4,713 cases of the Omicron variant, according to Health Secretary Sajid Javid.

Javid reported that the Omicron variant is now responsible for about one in five cases in the UK.

The country will offer fully vaccinated individuals a third dose by the …

AstraZeneca vaccine drama complicating the pandemic fight

The recent spectacle surrounding Vaxzevria, the AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) COVID-19 vaccine, could exacerbate vaccine hesitancy, which is significant in many parts of the world.

In the U.S., the independent data and safety monitoring board overseeing the Phase 3 trial contacted government authorities with concerns that the summary data were misleading.

More recently, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has concluded that blood clots are a “very rare” side effect of the vaccine, and the U.K. and other countries have constrained its use. There could be a backlash against the vaccine.

People “who are anti-vaxxers are now going to go and say: ‘I told you so, we were right,’ said Iain Duncan Smith, former Leader of the Conservative Party in the U.K. “This is going to be very difficult and damaging. It plays into the hands of those who are trying their level best to disrupt the vaccination program.”

Given that dynamic, AstraZeneca should stress i…

EU threatens to tighten COVID-19 vaccine exports

The European Union announced plans to invoke emergency rules that could substantially reduce exports to the United Kingdom and other countries for six weeks.

AstraZeneca, a central provider of vaccines to the European Union, had reduced EU projected shipments to the EU after encountering production delays at plants in Belgium and the Netherlands.

AstraZeneca will likely face the biggest impact from the rules, which would also apply to Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Canada and Israel also rely on EU-produced COVID-19 vaccines.

The U.S. and U.K. are largely reliant on domestically-produced vaccines.

It’s possible, however, that the EU and U.K. will come to a common agreement related to COVID-19 shipments. A joint statement released from the two governments describes an attempt to “ensure a reciprocally beneficial relationship between the UK and EU on COVID-19.”

U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson had earlier expressed frustration at the pl…