French contract takes UK vaccine doses to 400m

The United Kingdom has signed a deal with French company Valneva for another 40 million doses of its candidate coronavirus vaccine, a move that increases the country's sizable stockpile of doses.

The doses top-up comes as a UK trial shows that a vaccine developed by US company Novavax has demonstrated high efficacy in protecting against COVID-19.

With the nation of around 67 million people now holding or expecting at least 400 million jabs, speculation has turned to when and how London might help other nations.

The Bloomberg news agency said the new order means the UK has now requested a total of 100 million jabs from Valneva, with many not due to be delivered until next year.

London also has an option to buy an additional 90 million doses if it wants, which would be delivered between 2023 and 2025.

Valneva said the order could end up costing the UK as much as 1.4 billion euros ($1.7 billion) if the UK takes up all the options it is entitled to because of earlier agreements.

Clive Dix, the chairman of the UK's vaccines task force, said the apparent extra doses will "give us future flexibility in the event that we would need to revaccinate part of the population".

Early clinical tests on the vaccine, which will be produced in Scotland, have been successful.

Of the Novavax vaccine, trials show it has an 89.3 percent efficacy against COVID-19, especially the variant first detected in the UK, according to interim study data.

The fact that the more transmissible variant was circulating during the trial involving 15,000 people suggests the vaccine, called NVXCoV2373, is effective against it.

Encouraging figure

Based on analysis of samples from infected trial participants, Novavax said its vaccine was 95.6 percent effective against the original COVID-19 strain, and 85.6 percent effective against the variant. In general, drug regulators will not authorize a vaccine with less than 50 percent efficacy.

"The efficacy shown against the emerging variants is also extremely encouraging," said Dix.

The fact that the UK has ordered large quantities of vaccines from several companies means stocks have been sufficient for it to get its vaccination drive off to a good start, with around 9 million people in the most vulnerable groups having received their first jab so far.

On Monday, the National Health Service said it had completed the process of offering an injection to everyone in England's 10,000 care homes for elderly residents.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the achievement as a "crucial milestone" in the nation's race to vaccinate, by mid-February, the 15 million people deemed to be most at risk of dying from COVID-19.

The European Union put on a brave face on Monday, defending its vaccination program and insisting that renewed pledges of vaccine deliveries would make up for a production shortfall.

Pharmaceutical giants have scrambled to ramp up production and deliveries as German Chancellor Angela Merkel held talks in Berlin with political leaders and vaccine makers, while anger grew over the EU's sluggish inoculation program.

Earle Gale, Angus McNeice in London and agencies contributed to this story.