Poorer nations to get surplus doses

BRITAIN is to donate millions of surplus vaccine doses to poorer countries, Boris Johnson will announce today.

The Prime Minister’s pledge could see developing nations benefit before the end of the year if the UK vaccination programme goes to plan.

As Britain takes over the G7 presidency, Mr Johnson will also urge other world leaders to support an ambitious target to develop new vaccines in 100 days – a third of the time it took to create the Pfizer jab.

Today’s virtual G7 meeting will be Mr Johnson’s first major multilateral summit with US President Joe Biden.

Mr Johnson will vow to share up to 75 per cent of the UK’s surplus vaccine supplies with developing nations under the international Covax initiative.

Countries such as Ireland, which have been hard hit by production problems, could benefit – although no firm decisions have yet been made.

The details of Britain’s donation will be settled later this year, once it has been determined whether or not residents require third doses or booster jabs for emerging variants.

The UK has ordered more than 400million jabs from seven different companies, including 100million doses of the Oxford vaccine. This works out at around five doses per head, which means there should be a sizeable surplus.

Doses could be deemed surplus while still in production, so they could be diverted to those in need without ever reaching British shores. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said yesterday: ‘Vaccinating everyone, everywhere, is our way out of this pandemic.

‘The UK is clear that as a world leader we have a moral and national interest in making this happen. International co-operation has to be at the heart of this effort.’