'Britain must vaccinate 2m a week to prevent third Covid-19 wave'

London - The government has said it has secured early access to 357m vaccines doses through agreements with several developers.

Britain must vaccinate two million people a week to avoid a third wave of the coronavirus outbreak, a study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) has concluded.

The UK has had more than 71,000 deaths from the coronavirus and over 2.3 million cases of Covid-19 infections as of late Monday, according to a Reuters tally.

“The most stringent intervention scenario with tier 4 (restrictions) England-wide and schools closed during January and 2 million individuals vaccinated per week, is the only scenario we considered which reduces peak ICU (intensive care) burden below the levels seen during the first wave”, the study said.

“In the absence of substantial vaccine roll-out, cases, hospitalisations, ICU admissions and deaths in 2021 may exceed those in 2020.”

An accelerated uptake of two million vaccinated per week “is predicted to have a much more substantial impact”, it added. The study has yet to be peer-reviewed.

Responding to the study, a UK Health Department spokesman told Reuters that “over the coming weeks and months the rate of vaccination will increase as millions more doses become available and the programme continues to expand.”

The British government has said it has secured early access to 357 million vaccines doses through agreements with several developers.