This week we got the truly fantastic news that a vaccine is on its way – in fact the first batch of 800,000 doses arrived yesterday. This is down to the brilliant work of our regulator, the MHRA, who conducted all their usual tests in parallel, rather than in sequence. This means that the UK will be the first Western country to start immunising its people and an end is finally in sight.
The Pfizer vaccine is 95% effective and the UK has already ordered 20 million doses – enough to vaccinate 10 million people. We will be looking to get this as quickly as it can be manufactured, and our early regulating lead should give us a head start over other countries. Because of the limited supply, it is important that we start by vaccinating those most at risk – those over 80, care home residents and staff and NHS staff. We will also be vaccinating the clinically extremely vulnerable earlier in the process. A full list of criteria and priority groups can be found here.
Two more vaccines – Moderna and Oxford/AstraZeneca – are currently with regulators for approval. Once these are ready, the UK will have ordered enough to immunise over 70 million people. Including other vaccines, the UK has ordered 357 million doses of vaccine, the highest per capita of any country in the world. This is a huge success and once our people are vaccinated, we must ensure the excess supply is shared with developing countries.
I am also pushing for teachers to be moved up the priority list as the supply increases. They are very much at the frontline, coming into contact with dozens or hundreds of pupils and parents every week. I have already asked the Prime Minister about this and was pleased to see his recent comments suggesting he is coming round to this view. I will continue to raise it with ministers.
Otherwise, it has been a standard busy week. I continued my meetings with school headteachers and am glad they now have clarity on exams next year, something I have been asking for on their (and pupils’) behalf. I also welcomed the announcement of the plans for funding farmers once we have left the EU, with public goods like protecting the environment being prioritised. I asked the Environment Secretary about the importance of protecting soil health on Monday.
It is going to be a chilly weekend, so if you are meeting friends and family outdoors or heading into town for some Christmas shopping, make sure to keep warm and well.