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* UK PM Johnson says supply is limiting rollout
* AstraZeneca says on track to deliver 2 million weekly
shots
* Industry bodies cautious about changing dose regimes
(Adds new vaccine and death data)
By Alistair Smout and William James
LONDON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Britain is targeting a 24-hour,
7-day a week COVID-19 vaccination programme as soon as possible,
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday, as he bids to
step up the pace of the rollout with daily coronavirus deaths at
record levels.
AstraZeneca executives said the company was on track to
deliver 2 million doses of its shot a week before mid-February,
and Johnson said increased availability would be crucial to
scaling up to a round-the-clock service.
"We'll be going to 24/7 as soon as we can," Johnson told
parliament. "At the moment the limit is on supply."
Britain reported a record daily death toll of 1,564 on
Wednesday, showing the intensity of a second wave that has been
more deadly than the first.
Johnson hopes that giving protection to the elderly, the
vulnerable and frontline workers by mid-February will provide a
route out of a new lockdown which began in England last week.
Scotland, which locked down at the same time, said on
Wednesday it would tighten measures further.
Across the United Kingdom, there are 15 million people in
the highest priority groups. With 2.6 million first vaccine
doses administered so far, the government needs more than 2
million vaccinations a week to hit its target.
Britain is using two vaccines, by AstraZeneca and Pfizer
.
Earlier, Health Minister Matt Hancock said Britain was on
track to meet the target, and manufacturers were delivering on
schedule, but the process would become smoother as it moves
along.
AstraZeneca UK President Tom Keith-Roach said he hoped to be
able to expand supply beyond 2 million doses a week as processes
were optimised, but could not promise that.
Britain is prioritising giving as many people as possible
first doses, allowing up to 12 weeks before a second dose.
AstraZeneca research chief Mene Pangalos supported the move,
saying data showed an 8-12 week gap was a "sweet spot" for
efficacy.
Pfizer has been more cautious, warning that there is no data
to support delaying the second dose of its shot beyond 21 days,
and other industry voices echoed that wariness.
"The biopharmaceutical industry supports adhering to the
dosing that has been assessed in clinical trials," a group of
industry bodies including Vaccines Europe and the International
Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations said
in a statement.
It said any changes should follow science and be based on
transparent analysis of data.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout, William James, Michael Holden,
Elizabeth Piper and Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Giles Elgood and
Andrew Cawthorne)
