The Government has agreed a contract for 35 million more doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine which will help keep our nation safe from the threat of COVID-19 for years to come.

While the UK’s phenomenal vaccination programme continues to save lives, we are also putting plans in place to protect the country for the future too – whether that’s from the virus as we know it or new variants.  That is why the Government has reached an agreement with Pfizer to purchase 35 million more vaccine doses which will be delivered from the second half of next year, as part of our plans to keep the nation safe from the threat of COVID-19 and support any future booster programmes.

The Government’s preparations include robust plans for ensuring the country remains ahead of the virus for years to come, as well as working to make the UK a global centre of excellence for the next generation of vaccines. The Vaccine Taskforce has contracts in place with multiple vaccine manufacturers.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in America has also given its full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, calling it a "key achievement for public health". The approval, says the FDA, means "the public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product".

The UK is also committed to supporting global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and improving access to vaccines, and will be donating 100 million vaccine doses within the next year. The donation of the first 9 million doses was announced last month.

The UK is also one of the largest donors to the COVAX facility, the global mechanism to help developing countries access a coronavirus vaccine, and has committed £548 million in UK aid to help distribute 1.3 billion doses to 92 developing countries this year.

The Government is preparing for a booster programme this year to ensure those most vulnerable to COVID-19 are protected. The booster programme will be based on the final advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), expected in September.

Purchasing new doses well in advance and making the UK a global centre of excellence for vaccine research will ensure we can maintain our life-saving wall of defence from COVID-19 for years to come.

The contract will be published on Contracts Finder in due course. For more information on the Government’s deal with Pfizer/BioNTech for 35 million vaccines, including comments from the Health and Social Care Secretary, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-signs-deal-with-pfizerbiontech-for-35-million-vaccines.