After the EU’s behaviour last week, no one can be under any illusion about how nationalistic the pandemic has now become. Even before the EU attempted to halt vaccine supplies destined for Britain, the scrabble to secure enough doses had become reminiscent of the cold war. It wasn’t for nothing that the Russians named their vaccine ‘Sputnik’ – a reference to the satellite they launched in 1957 during the space race. Nor was it by chance that the Scottish government appeared to find it so difficult to say the word ‘Oxford’ when talking about the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine.
But these sorts of political tiffs are just the beginning. Now that vaccinations are underway across the West, focus is beginning to shift onto future supply. The government’s announcement on Monday that they have secured 40 million more doses of the Valneva vaccine, which will be produced in Scotland, shows that Whitehall is clearly planning for a yearly national vaccination programme.
So far, the government has played its cards cleverly, not only shoring up a solid supply ahead of time but also using its production plan to strengthen the Union.
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