Moderna vaccine approved for use in the UK

A third coronavirus vaccine has been given approval for use in the UK.

It has been developed by US company Moderna, with supplies becoming available in spring.

The vaccine is the third to be approved for use by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, following the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca jabs.

The UK Government has ordered a total of 17 million doses of the latest vaccine.

Scottish secretary Alister Jack said: "The regulator’s approval of the Moderna vaccine is great news. With three vaccines now approved there is most definitely light at the end of the tunnel.

 "The UK Government has procured and paid for millions of vaccine doses for people in all parts of the UK.

"We have doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines right now. It is the responsibility of the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland to get that current supply of jabs into as many people’s arms as soon as possible."

The announcement come as it was confirmed 1,530 people, confirmed to have the virus, are currently in hospital in Scotland.

The figure exceeds the peak in April, when 1,520 Covid patients were in hospital at any one time.

"That underlines the severity of the pressure that our hospitals are currently facing," First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said at the lunchtime briefing.

Meanwhile, a further 2,309 people have tested positive and 93 additional deaths were registered in the last 24 hours.