UK COVID vaccine supplies to be hit after Moderna delays

UK coronavirus vaccine supplies are set to be hit after Moderna said it expects a shortfall in its supply chain.

The US company said delivery numbers will be hit in the UK and Canada until the end of June due to a slowdown in production, though EU-bound shipments are on track.

A Department of Health spokeswoman told Yahoo News UK the government is aware of the shortfall.

This website is also awaiting response from Moderna over how many UK doses are likely to be delayed.

The company had earlier said in a statement: "The trajectory of vaccine manufacturing ramp-up is not linear, and despite best efforts, there is a shortfall in previously estimated doses from the European supply chain.”

The Moderna jab is one of three vaccines currently being used in the UK, and it's not clear how the shortfall will affect the overall programme.

Downing Street ordered far less Moderna doses (17 million) than AstraZeneca (100 million) and Pfizer (40 million). The UK's first Moderna vaccine had only been administered on Wednesday last week in Wales, while the rollout began in England on Tuesday this week.

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The government is aiming to have offered a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine to every adult in the UK by the end of July.

The latest figures show that as of Thursday, 32,574,221 first doses had been administered, with 8,931,547 second doses given.

This month has already seen fewer available vaccines due to a slowdown in supply from India, with GPs told to concentrate on delivering second doses and vaccinating the over-50s and vulnerable groups.

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