London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Oxford Covid vaccine could be approved 'just after Christmas'

Oxford Covid vaccine could be approved 'just after Christmas'

The coronavirus vaccine being developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca could be approved shortly after Christmas, a medical scientist has said.


Professor Sir John Bell said he expects the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MRHA) to sign off its approval of the jab ‘pretty shortly’.

Sir John, Oxford University’s regius professor of medicine, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘They got data quite a long time ago but that was the first set of data. They receive multiple sets of data.

‘So we are getting to be about prime time now, I would expect some news pretty shortly. I doubt we’ll make Christmas now, but just after Christmas I would expect. I have no concerns whatsoever that the data looks better than ever.’

His comments came as former prime minister Tony Blair called for major policy shifts in the rollout of vaccines, concentrating on giving more people a single dose with greater flexibility in who receives a jab.

Approval of the Oxford vaccine would be a major boost to efforts to control Covid-19 because it is easier to distribute than the Pfizer/BioNTech jab currently being used in the UK.


Approval from regulators is expected shortly after Christmas


The Government has ordered 100 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, with around 40 million available by the end of March.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told a Downing Street press conference that the Oxford/AstraZeneca team has now submitted full data to the regulator for approval.

He said: ‘This is the next step towards a decision on the deployment of the vaccine which is already being manufactured, including here in the UK.’


The Government has ordered 100 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine


Mr Blair told Today ‘the reality is we are now in severe lockdown until vaccination’ and so it should be a priority to give as many people as possible some protection.

While ideally people should received the required two doses, the question is: ‘Does the first dose give you substantial immunity, and by that I mean over 50% effectiveness?

‘If it does, there is a very strong case for not, as it were, holding back doses of the vaccine.’


A volunteer is administered the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University


For example ‘if, in January, AstraZeneca is delivering you 10 or 20 million doses of the vaccine, you vaccinate 10 or 20 million people’.

Mr Blair went on: ‘You should get more vaccine coming on stream by the time you are ready for the second dose and that first dose can give you substantial immunity.’

The former premier also criticised the ‘somewhat inflexible “by age” structure’ used to determine who receives the jab.


A vial of coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University


Experts at the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation have drawn up a priority list based on clinical need.

But Mr Blair, who does not have a medical background, said ‘there is a strong case for saying you have got to focus also on the people spreading the disease, not simply the most vulnerable’.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick told Today that the Government is focusing on getting as many people as possible to receive the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

He said: ‘At the moment the priority is just to ensure that as many people as possible get the first shot of the vaccine.

‘Remember, the second shot has to be done, depending on what the vaccine is, 21 or 28 days later and so we still haven’t reached that point with the first people who were vaccinated.’

Asked whether the Government would consider dropping the second shot, Mr Jenrick said: ‘The strategy will always be kept under review but the priority today is to ensure that as many people as possible are given the first shot of the vaccine; that is what is happening.’

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×