A BRADFORD woman was one of the two members of the public selected to ask a question to the Government during today's Covid-19 press briefing.

Elizabeth, from the district, asked Health Secretary Matt Hancock about concerns regarding supply of the Covid-19 vaccine from the European Union into the UK.

She asked: "Many of the most vulnerable groups have now received their first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, with a second dose due at the beginning of April.

"Given the recent attempts by the EU to block them supplying the vaccine into the UK, how can these groups be sure of getting their second dose within the already extended time frame?"

Mr Hancock, who fronted the press briefing and was joined by NHS England's Professor Stephen Powis and Public Health England's Dr Susan Hopkins, said it was a "very important question".

He replied: “We have a high degree of confidence in the supplies that we have contracted from Pfizer and AstraZeneca and we’re working with our European partners to make sure those supply chains can remain open.

“And in the same way that there are some of the supplies made on the continent, so too a huge amount of it is made onshore here in the UK.”

Mr Hancock said “constructive progress” had been made with the EU over the weekend, adding: “Following those decisions by the EU, I’m confident that we will be able to deliver supplies to everyone who needs it for their second dose.

“This is obviously something we keep a very close eye on.”