A health worker prepares an injection with a dose of Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in London, Britain, February 18, 2021. (Photo: Reuters)

Johnson’s Britain holds the presidency of the Group of 7 developed economies in 2021 and wants to use it to build momentum for a more coordinated approach to future pandemics, including the creation of a global health treaty. He will kick off that agenda on Friday by promising to share surplus vaccine doses with developing countries and calling for help to develop vaccines more quickly.

It took 314 days from the first identification of a COVID-19 cluster in China in December to the first successful vaccine trial results. Britain hailed that as a huge achievement but said next time it must be done faster, backing a 100-day target previously set out by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.