It is understood the first Moderna jabs are due to arrive in the UK next month. 

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden expressed confidence that the first Moderna jabs are still on course to arrive in April.

The UK is thought to have ordered around 17 million doses of the Moderna vaccine – enough for 8.5 million people.

So what do you need to know about the Moderna vaccine and how does it differ from the others?

What is the Moderna vaccine?

Moderna's vaccine is a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines.

Conventional vaccines are produced using weakened forms of the virus, but mRNAs use only the virus’s genetic code.

An mRNA vaccine is injected into the body where it enters cells and tells them to create antigens.

These antigens are recognised by the immune system and prepare it to fight coronavirus.

No actual virus is needed to create an mRNA vaccine. This means the rate at which the vaccine can be produced is accelerated.

How many doses are needed?

You will receive two injections of the vaccine.

It is recommended to administer the second dose 28 days after the first.

As with any vaccine, the Moderna vaccine may not fully protect all those who receive it.

You may not be fully protected until two weeks after the second dose of the vaccine. It is not yet known how long protection lasts.

What have studies shown about the Moderna vaccine?

The vaccine was given to approximately 14,000 individuals aged 18 years or older in clinical study.

The study included participants with one or more other medical conditions that increase the risk of severe Covid-19. 

Moderna's results indicate 94.5 per cent effectiveness. 

When will the vaccine be used in the UK?

It is thought it will be rolled out by the end of April. 

Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said the data on the Moderna vaccine was very promising.

When asked on BBC Breakfast on Sunday if the Moderna vaccine could open the door to people under 50 being vaccinated, he said: “We examined the data from Moderna which looks very promising.

“It’s a very similar type of vaccine to the Pfizer-Biontech vaccine, which everybody’s become familiar with, a messenger RNA vaccine, and I think we’ll start deploying that towards the end of April."