UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that Britain will make
the necessary arrangements to ensure vaccines are available 24 hours a day, days
after refuting calls from the main opposition Labour party for night-time
opening of vaccine centres, AFP reported.

The government, currently under pressure to speed up its vaccination
programme, is looking towards a pilot scheme for late-night jabs.

“We will be going to 24/7 as soon as we can,” Johnson told
parliament.

AstraZeneca is scaling up to release two million doses of its vaccine
per week in Britain, the firm’s chief executive said on Wednesday.

“We’re absolutely on track to do that and therefore deliver tens of
millions of doses in the first quarter of the year,” Tom Keith-Roach told
parliament’s Science and Technology Committee.

So far, Britain has administered 2.4 million vaccinations to its most
vulnerable citizens, and plan to achieve a target of 15 million by
mid-February.

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The country has been one of the hardest hit globally by the pandemic,
with more than 83,000 people losing their lives after testing positive for the
virus.

It is currently mired in its third and worst wave of the virus, currently
battling the new strain of the disease.

Johnson recently announced a third national lockdown until at least
mid-February, and is considering harsher measures still if the numbers keep
rising.

Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon meanwhile on Wednesday announced
the country would be stopping ‘click and collect’ retail services, except for
essentials goods, as part of a tightening of restrictions.