Covid-19: UK ramps up tests, vaccine delivery plan | World News - Hindustan Times
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Covid-19: UK ramps up tests, vaccine delivery plan

Hindustan Times, London | By
Aug 03, 2020 06:29 PM IST

A test to detect coronavirus in 90 minutes and a ‘fill and finish’ partnership with pharma major Wockhardt for vaccine delivery were unveiled on Monday, as a senior scientist criticised ‘shroud of secrecy’ in the Boris Johnson government’s decision-making.

A test to detect coronavirus in 90 minutes and a ‘fill and finish’ partnership with pharma major Wockhardt for vaccine delivery were unveiled on Monday, as a senior scientist criticised ‘shroud of secrecy’ in the Boris Johnson government’s decision-making.

There have been 46,201 deaths and 304,695 cases in the UK as of Sunday.(AP file photo for representation)
There have been 46,201 deaths and 304,695 cases in the UK as of Sunday.(AP file photo for representation)

Business secretary Alok Sharma announced the agreement with Wockhardt that follows similar previous partnerships to secure early access to millions of vaccine doses from AstraZeneca for the University of Oxford vaccine, BioNTech/Pfizer alliance, Valneva and GSK/Sanofi.

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The agreements have been reached in the hope that various vaccine trials, including the Oxford candidate vaccine, will be conclusively proved to be effective against the virus later this year. There have been 46,201 deaths and 304,695 cases in the UK as of Sunday.

The 18-month agreement with Wockhardt based in north Wales to carry out the ‘fill and finish’ stage of the manufacturing process involves dispensing the manufactured vaccine substance into vials ready for it to be distributed.

Sharma said: “Ensuring the UK has the capability to research, develop and manufacture a safe and effective vaccine is critical in our fight against coronavirus. Today we have secured additional capacity to manufacture millions of doses of multiple Covid-19 candidates, guaranteeing the supply of vaccines we need to protect people across the UK rapidly and in large numbers”.

Announcing the 90-minute test, health secretary Matt Hancock said it is part of two new tests – one for coronavirus and another for flu – that will be rolled out to increase testing capacity before winter sets in, when flu and other season-related ailments occupy the National Health Service.

The tests, he said, do not require a trained health professional to operate them, meaning they can be rolled out in more non-clinical settings.

Hancock said: “Millions of new rapid coronavirus tests will provide on-the-spot results in under 90 minutes, helping us to break chains of transmission quickly. The fact these tests can detect flu as well as Covid-19 will be hugely beneficial as we head into winter, so patients can follow the right advice to protect themselves and others”.

Meanwhile, Nobel laureate Paul Nurse, director of the Francis Crick Institute in London, alleged that important decisions throughout the pandemic had been made in what he called a “black box” of scientists, civil servants and politicians, calling for more transparency and scrutiny.

He told The Guardian that the alleged failure to be more open about pivotal decisions, and the basis on which they were reached, meant it had been impossible to challenge emerging policy, a situation that put public trust at risk.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Prasun Sonwalkar was Editor (UK & Europe), Hindustan Times. During more than three decades, he held senior positions on the Desk, besides reporting from India’s north-east and other states, including a decade covering politics from New Delhi. He has been reporting from UK and Europe since 1999.

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