UK buys 5 years worth of (French) Valneva vaccine
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Valneva vaccine is "banned" in the EU, but the UK has bought 5 years' worth of it, plus the option for an extra 90 million doses. The contract gives the UK priority for the doses.
Valneva vaccine is a traditional vaccine, not mRNA.
I'm not sure if "banned" is the correct word, but it's what several French people have called it.
The EU and France have not ordered any of the vaccines.
It's odd that France and the EU haven't bought any of this, considering it's a French product.
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You meant they have ordered 5 years worth of the vaccine. The vaccine has a very short shelf life, so there is no way they could stockpile it. In fact, when the vaccines in the USA were quite scarce and being rationed by priorities, there were often situations where people were getting the vaccine even though they did not qualify it because they had vaccine available that was close to it's expiration date. They had to either use it or throw it away.