The UK's - which currently has the world's fifth-highest Covid-19 death toll - vaccine rollout may face minor supply disruptions and a "lumpy" manufacturing process, Vaccine Deployment Minister Nadhim Zahawi said on Monday.
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The nation has currently rolled out two major vaccines and is a currently racing against the clock to vaccinate its population as new strains of the virus have caused a surge in cases.
Read more: UK government targets seven new vaccination "megacentres" to aid in rollout
Over 4 million Britons have been vaccinated against Covid-19 and the country currently ranks number four in the world for vaccines per capita.
The UK has set itself a goal of 2 million vaccines per week from AstraZeneca, but those numbers will not be achieved until mid-February, the Minister told LBC radio on Monday morning.
He later told the BBC: “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.
“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.
“That could delay supply but I’m confident we can meet our target.”
Pfizer is said to be temporarily slowing its supply to Europe as it plans to ramp up production to meet its end-of-year targets.
They hope to have shipped 2 billion doses of their vaccine by the end of 2021.
Read more: BioNTech & Pfizer to boost production of vaccine doses to 2bn
Britain is currently rolling out the vaccine to the most vulnerable people in society as well as certain essential frontline workers.
In high-density areas, letters about the vaccine are going out to the over-70s and those deemed critically-vulnerable.
Zahawi has announced that a 24-hour vaccine watch is to be piloted in London by the end of the month.
Essential workers such as teachers, police officers and shop workers are set to be moved to the top of the list with the next rollout, he added.
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