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British Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said today the U.K. will focus on vaccinating its “whole adult population” before it considers providing other nations with any surplus doses of the coronavirus vaccine.
“I think our focus has to be to try and keep Britain safe,” Kwarteng told Sky News. “We want to work cooperatively as well with other countries, but the main priority is to get the vaccine rollout.”
Asked if the U.K. would be able to help out its neighbor Ireland, Kwarteng replied: “If there are surplus vaccine doses then we can share them but there are no surpluses at the moment, we have still got a huge number to vaccinate.”
More than 30 million Brits have received a first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, while more than 3 million have received both jabs. That puts the U.K. ahead of most European countries, where vaccine rollouts are off to a slower start.
At a Downing Street press conference Monday evening, Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted that the U.K. does not know “exactly how strong” its defenses are against another wave of coronavirus, despite an “impressive” vaccine rollout.
He warned that a rise in infections was likely as the U.K. relaxes some restrictions and called on people to maintain the “discipline” they “have shown for so long.”
Johnson was one of 23 leaders on Tuesday to back an initiative to enhance international cooperation during future health emergencies.
This article is part of POLITICO’s premium policy service: Pro Health Care. From drug pricing, EMA, vaccines, pharma and more, our specialized journalists keep you on top of the topics driving the health care policy agenda. Email [email protected] for a complimentary trial.
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