BioNTech, the German biopharmaceutical company behind one of the world's first COVID-19 vaccines, has announced a landmark investment of up to £1 billion in the UK over the next decade.
New vaccine data from Israel suggests that the double-dose of Pfizer is performing at the expected rate of 95% efficiency - with the possibility that it is performing even better than that being further investigated.
In response to the AstraZeneca feud, EU officials are creating a "transparency mechanism" for vaccine exports - which would indirectly hold companies accountable for fulfilling their agreed contracts.
The company announced that their current vaccine can handle the South African COVID mutation - with plans to create an "additional booster dose" to see if they can create specific protections against emerging variants.
Tomorrow (26 January) the COVID 'O' meeting is expected to be a moment of decision-making about border policy, as the more infectious South African and Brazilian COVID mutations continue to circulate.
EU leaders are investigating why AstraZeneca are not following through with the pre-agreed number of vaccines for the Member States - taking a 60% cut to the expected amount.
Paul Bensley, Managing Director at X-on, discusses how patient communications could be the only way to solve complex logistical considerations for mass vaccination.
Professor Herb Sewell, expert in immunology, wrote that the UK Government should not rely on one dose of the vaccine - suggesting that the diluted vaccine could encourage mutations to evolve.
New data from the REACT study says that there have been more than 20 hospitals' worth of new patients since Christmas Eve, putting "extreme pressure" on the NHS.
Professor Melissa Leach, Director, Institute of Development Studies, discusses why UK funded research is important for a successful COVID vaccine roll-out to the poorest and hardest to reach.
An initial £2.5 million will launch the 'G2P-UK' National Virology Consortium, which will investigate COVID-19 mutations to figure out how they impact vaccines.
