A sixth Covid vaccine has been approved for use in the UK. The jab, developed by Valneva, has been given regulatory approval by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
The independent medicines regulator is the first in the world to approve the Valneva product, MHRA said in a statement. The UK had been due to receive 100 million doses of the French firm’s jab, but the Government cancelled the deal in September due to a “breach of obligations”.
The authorisation of a sixth Covid jab in the UK comes as the number of deaths involving coronavirus registered each week in England and Wales continues to rise, although levels remain well below those reached during previous waves of the virus. The NHS Confederation has said very high rates of Covid-19 infections are having a “major impact” on the health service, which is facing pressures it would see in a “bad winter” well into spring, reports WalesOnline.
