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 The United Kingdom, which has the world's fifth worst official
COVID-19 death toll, is racing to be among the first major countries
to vaccinate its population - seen as the best way to exit the
pandemic and get the economy going again.
The United Kingdom has vaccinated 3,857,266 people with a first dose
and 449,736 with a second dose. On vaccines administered per 100
people, the United Kingdom is fourth in the world after Israel, the
United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Zahawi told LBC radio that the United Kingdom was hoping for 2
million vaccines a week from AstraZeneca but that those numbers will
not be reached until mid February. Still, he said the UK was on
course to hit its rollout targets.
"It's been a bit lumpy," Zahawi said of vaccine manufacture.
Pfizer will temporarily reduce its deliveries to Europe of its
vaccine against COVID-19 while it upgrades its production capacity.
"There's bound to be delays. Any new manufacturing process has
challenges at the outset, it is lumpy, it begins to stabilise and
get better and better week in, week out," Zahawi told the BBC.
"The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine is a messenger RNA chemical, difficult
chemical to manufacture, very very challenging but they're doing
really well, they want to do more which is why they're reconfiguring
to add volume to the whole world," Zahawi said.
"That could delay supply but I'm confident we can meet our target."
VACCINE HOPES
Mass COVID-19 vaccines are seen as the best way to exit the pandemic
which has killed more than 2 million people, wiped out trillions of
dollars in economic output and upended normal life for people across
the world.
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 The United Kingdom is
vaccinating 140 people per minute against
COVID-19 on average.
"It is going well, we're vaccinating on average
140 people, that's first jab, literally a
minute. That's the average so some areas are
doing better," Zahawi told Sky.
Britain is currently rolling out the vaccine to the most vulnerable
first, starting with those who are in care homes or over 80 years of
age. In areas where a majority of over 80s have been offered a
vaccine, letters are going out to the over 70s and those who are
clinically extremely vulnerable.
Zahawi said a 24-hour vaccine offering would begin to be piloted in
London by the end of the month.
Essential workers such as teachers, the police and shop assistants
could move to the top of the list for a vaccine once all those over
50 have been offered a shot, Zahawi said.
"Teachers, police officers, shop workers, those who through no fault
of their own other than the work that they do may come into contact
with the virus in much greater volume, should be top of the list,"
Zahawi told Times Radio.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Kate Holton; editing by Sarah
Young, Paul Sandle and Philippa Fletcher)
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