As Moderna announced
a second breakthrough coronavirus vaccine, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the UK has secured “an initial agreement” for 5m doses. Preliminary results indicate the Moderna vaccine is almost 95% effective, just a week after rival Pfizer announced that initial results for its vaccine suggested it was 90% effective. The UK has previously ordered up to 350 million doses of six candidate vaccines, but Mr Hancock said the Moderna vaccine would not be available until the spring. Globally, share prices surged on the news of a second effective vaccine.
