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If the UK drug regulatory authority approves the coronavirus vaccine developed by drug companies Pfizer and BioNTech, Britain will start using the vaccine, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday, according to the MTI.
The two companies announced shortly that their vaccine, based on preliminary studies, would prevent coronavirus-induced Covid-19 disease in more than 90 percent of those vaccinated.
However, Johnson emphasized at a news conference Monday night in Downing Street that while the announcement “removed a significant obstacle” to the use of the vaccine, more needs to be done.
He added that this news by itself does not mean a solution and that the biggest mistake would be to loosen the disposition in the current critical situation.
Johnson said, however, that the British government had previously ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which, since two vaccines will be needed per person, will be enough for about a third of the UK population in the first round.
According to the prime minister, Britain will be at the forefront of the international field in terms of vaccine numbers per capita, and if the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine passes all strict safety checks, the British government will start the vaccine under the leadership of the NHS. distribution nationwide.
Boris Johnson added, without elaborating, that the government ordered an additional 300 million doses of five other vaccines in development.
England’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam also called the safety of the new vaccine a top priority at a news conference Monday night, saying it was more important than the efficacy of the vaccine. Professor Van-Tam also emphasized that there are still several steps left before the vaccine can be used.
However, he said he hoped, although not entirely certain, that a certain amount of the vaccine would be available before Christmas.
He said that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine targets the new type of coronavirus protein S (SARS-CoV-2), and the announcement of a high level of vaccine efficacy is very good news because the vast majority of other vaccines in development also affect this viral protein.
In his words, the current situation is similar to when a cup final is decided by penalties and the first player manages to score a goal. “We haven’t won the cup yet, but we already know that the goalkeeper can be beaten,” said the deputy medical director in England.
Jonathan Van-Tam claimed that given that Britain is in the midst of the second wave of the coronavirus epidemic, the new vaccine is unlikely to have any effect on the course of this epidemic. However, he added, there is a hopeful prospect that the vaccine could stand in the way of new epidemic waves.
According to the UK Department of Health, 21,350 coronavirus infections were tested across the UK in the 24 hours that ended Monday night.
To date, 33.9 million coronavirus tests have been conducted nationwide, of which 1,213,363 have been positive.
According to the British government’s calculation methodology, which takes into account deaths within 28 days of being diagnosed with a coronavirus infection, 194 people died from Covid-19 disease in the 24 hours that ended Monday night.
To date, there have been 49,236 deaths in the coronavirus epidemic in the UK.
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