Four nation approach being taken to procure potential coronavirus vaccines

A four nation approach is being taken to procure potential coronavirus vaccines.

Although the four nations have differed in easing and imposing restrictions since the lockdown in March, Wales’ Health Minister, Vaughan Gething today stated that a collaborative approach is being taken in terms of vaccine procurement.

Already the UK Government has signed agreements for millions of doses for some of the vaccine front runners.

In recent days there has been speculation about vaccines and therapeutics potentially being available towards the end of the year and within the first quarter of 2021.

However with trials still ongoing and their results yet to published, there is no guarantee that any of the vaccines will be successful nor will they bring an immediate end to the pandemic.

At this afternoon’s Welsh Government briefing, we asked the health minister if there was any update on any possible vaccine program progress in terms of doses being acquired and what timelines are being looked at to roll out mass vaccination.

We also asked that if Wales taking an independent approach what measures are being put in place to ensure issues in March regarding testing acquisitions are not repeated.

Mr Gething said: “It’s really hard to forecast with any useful certainty when they’ll come to fruition because we’re still at a point in the trials, we need to understand what the outcome of those trials are.

“There are a range of different potential vaccine options that are being run through trials in the UK and around the world.

“What we have done – and this is an area where all four nations do work together and work together and I think pretty successfully – we know that the UK Government is procuring with the agreement of all four nations a range of vaccine supply.

“So we have pre-ordered from those that are going through vaccine trials,

“There will be supplies available across the UK, in proportion for each of those countries if those vaccines go through their trials and are successful.

“So that I hope is some helpful reassurance for people that we’re obviously taking part in that conversation and decision making here in Wales.

“The UK in this instance is working for all four countries in the UK, but I can’t give people certainties. If I tried to there would be a level of false assurance.

“Now more than ever, I think it’s important that we’re honest about the limits of our ability to forecast and give certainty to people in all of these areas to help make sure we don’t breed further mistrust amongst the public.”

You can view today’s Welsh Government briefing below:

Cynhadledd i’r Wasg byw gyda’r Gweinidog Iechyd | Live Press Conference with the Health Minister https://t.co/nMuUUCTvFN

— Welsh Government (@WelshGovernment) October 21, 2020