Covid jab boosters will “probably” be needed every year, the UK Vaccines Minister has said.
Maggie Throup backed the view of Pfizer’s chief executive that annual shots are likely to be needed to fight new variants.
It comes days after the UK ordered 60 million extra doses of the Moderna vaccine and 54 million more Pfizer/BioNTech doses in a deal that will stretch to 2023.
With all UK adults set to be offered a booster by January 31, the order prompted speculation that Brits will be offered a fourth jab or annual boosters in to the future.
Ms Throup told BBC Question Time: “What we’ve done now is pre-ordered vaccines for future years.
“I think it’s only right, the public would expect us to be prepared for future years.
“It would be wrong for us to not be prepared. It really would.”
Asked if people will need them every year, she replied: “At the moment it looks as if we probably will, looking at the way the virus has gone already.”
Earlier this week Health Secretary Sajid Javid confirmed deals for 114million extra doses of Pfizer and Moderna had been accelerated in light of fears over the new Omicron variant.
The new deals for 2022 and 2023 include access to modified vaccines if existing jabs are found to be less effective against the worrying new strain.
And the head of Pfizer yesterday said annual vaccinations are likely.
Dr Albert Bourla told the BBC : "Based on everything I have seen so far, I would say that annual vaccinations... are likely to be needed to maintain a very robust and very high level of protection."
The deal is on top of 35million Pfizer doses due in the second half of next year, and 60 million Novavax and 7.5 million GSK/Sanofi doses expected in 2022.
The UK has still not completed its pledge to give 100million doses to poorer nations by mid-2022, including sub-Saharan Africa where the Omicron variant appeared.
The government said this week that 18.5million have been donated to the COVAX scheme plus another 4.6million directly to nations through bilateral deals.
