Hancock announces 60 million additional Pfizer vaccine doses for autumn programme

The government has purchased a further 60 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine as it starts preparations for a Covid-19 booster programme that will begin towards the end of this year.

Ahead of the winter months, when cases and transmission are expected to rise again, people will be revaccinated “based on clinical need” in a bid to further raise their immunity levels.

The booster programme is also being implemented to provide protection against new and emerging coronavirus variants, some of which are capable of blunting the effectiveness of the current generation of vaccines.