THE UK government has secured an extra 40 million doses of the Valneva Covid-19 vaccines – taking jab orders to a total of 407 million.
This adds to the 60 million doses the government had already ordered, which will be enough to vaccinate every adult in the country.
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The latest batch is earmarked for delivery in 2022 and will sit alongside jabs from Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca.
In total the government has 40 million doses of the Pfizer jab and 100 million of the Oxford offering.
Brits could also have the Moderna jab, which the government has secured 17 million doses of.
The Department of Health also has 60 million doses of the GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi Pasteur jab, 60 million Novavax doses and 30 million Janssen jabs.
The Government has retained options for over a further 90 million doses of the Valneva jab for supply between 2023 and 2025.
French firm Valneva said the total value of the entire order was up to £1.24 billion (1.4 billion euros).
In the next three months the firm is expected to release early-stage phase 1/2 results from its clinical trials.
The jab is expected to be given as two doses and is being made at a site in West Lothian, with the Government saying the new deal "will bolster long-term vaccine production in Scotland".
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the deal is another weapon in the fight against Covid and highlighted that the government would secure enough supplies to protect the public in 2021 and beyond.
He added: "Backed with major investment from the UK Government, Valneva's site in Scotland will be a vaccine production powerhouse, working flat out to ensure we can quickly deploy jabs across the UK if their candidate is approved, while supporting top quality, local jobs.
"Thanks to our incredible UK Vaccine Taskforce, we have now secured a bumper portfolio of over 400 million vaccines, putting our country in an exceptionally strong position to defeat this virus once and for all."
If the vaccine is approved for use by the MHRA (Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) it will be rolled out across the globe, vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said.
He added: "If approved, Valneva's vaccine will not only help tackle Covid-19 here in the UK, but aid our mission to ensure there is a fair supply of vaccines across the globe.
"No-one is safe till the whole world is safe."
However international trade secretary Liz Truss yesterday said that it’s “too early” to determine whether or not the UK will send its vaccines abroad.
She stated that “we first need to make sure that our population is vaccinated”.
If it is approved, 60 million doses could start to be delivered to the UK by the second half of 2021.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "The Valneva vaccine showcases the best of Scottish expertise right at the heart of our UK vaccine endeavour, demonstrating the strength of our union and what the UK can achieve when it works together.
"If the vaccine is authorised by the health regulator, it will be rolled out across the four nations as quickly as possible."
The vaccine site in Livingston will have the capacity to produce around 250 million jabs a year, which can then be shipped across the UK and around the world.
So far the UK has invested £300 million into manufacturing a vaccine and government data shows that around 8.9 million Brits have had their first dose of a Covid jab.
Nearly half a million have received their second dose.
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