UK’s AstraZeneca confirms it can supply 2 billion Covid-19 vaccine doses when ready – double the amount originally predicted

AstraZeneca has confirmed that it can supply two billion Covid-19 vaccine doses over two years, when the vaccine is ready.

THAT’S double the amount the pharmaceutical firm had originally predicted. It will be able to supply double the amount thanks to ‘new partnerships’ with the Serum Institute of India, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and GAVI vaccines alliance. The latter two companies are backed by Bill and Melinda Gates, according to AstraZeneca’s CEO Pascal Soriot. These deals will ensure that low and middle-income countries will be among the first to get the vaccine, once it is proven to work, he added.

Of course, production of the vaccine will depend on the success of the trial, which the pharmaceutical company is currently working on in partnership with Oxford University. Trials of the vaccine started earlier this year, and is currently in the first phase where it’s already being tested on 160 healthy volunteers, between the ages of 18 and 55. According to Soriot, he will find out by August whether the trial is effective or not. He confirmed that he is also exploring other partnerships to ramp up supply of the vaccine further.