After starting with a portfolio of seven candidates, the UK’s vaccine supply for 2022 and 2023 now relies primarily on just two, yet many of the risks that the ‘portfolio’ approach was intended to mitigate remain. The UK’s portfolio strategy aimed to optimise the chances of success in securing access to vaccines at a time of huge uncertainty. Out of the original portfolio of seven candidates, six have been approved for use in the UK to date, with three—AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna— actuall...

After starting with a portfolio of seven candidates, the UK’s vaccine supply for 2022 and 2023 now relies primarily on just two, yet many of the risks that the ‘portfolio’ approach was intended to mitigate remain. The UK’s portfolio strategy aimed to optimise the chances of success in securing access to vaccines at a time of huge uncertainty. Out of the original portfolio of seven candidates, six have been approved for use in the UK to date, with three—AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna— actually deployed. However, the only new contracts the UK signed in 2021 were The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine programme in England 7 with Pfizer and Moderna Type: conclusion | Number: 5 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: 5.1 The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 5.2 The government took a portfolio approach to vaccine development and procurement. This was the right strategy in the early stages of the pandemic, recognising a high degree of uncertainty over wh