March 20, 2021

expert comment on news that half UK adults have reportedly received their first vaccine dose

A comment from Dr Jeremy Farrar on news that half of the adult population in the UK have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr Jeremy Farrar, Director of Wellcome, said:

“To have vaccinated half of the UK’s adult population in under 3 months is remarkable.  Soon we’ll have covered 99 per cent of those at high risk of dying from Covid-19.  The UK should be proud of this achievement and the scientists, healthcare workers and volunteers who got us here.

“But we need to start thinking beyond our borders.  The UK has access to 100 million surplus vaccine doses.  Almost enough to vaccinate every citizen twice.  These doses won’t be of use in the UK.  It’s time we begin sharing doses with those most in need globally.

“This is more than a question of ethics – it is a scientific and economic imperative.  If left to spread unchecked in large parts of the world, the virus risks mutating to an extent where our vaccines and treatments no longer work – leaving us all exposed.  Science has given us the exit strategy, but it will only work if its benefits can reach the maximum number of people around the world.

“It is not enough to champion the importance of equitable access – we urgently need confirmed timetables for sharing doses through Covax.  The UK should lead the way on this.”

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/half-of-all-adults-in-uk-receive-first-dose-of-covid-19-vaccine

Declared interests

Dr Jeremy Farrar: “Wellcome co-founded and co-funds CEPI, which has provided support to the development and manufacture of the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca AZD1222 vaccine candidate.”