The vaccine will be available throughout the UK from next week, the UK said.
London:
Britain on Wednesday became the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use and said it will be launched early next week.
A vaccine is seen as the best chance for the world to return to a semblance of normalcy amid a global pandemic that has killed nearly 1.5 million people and disrupted the global economy.
“The government today accepted the recommendation of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to approve the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech for use,” the government said.
“The vaccine will be available throughout the UK from next week.”
Britain’s vaccine committee will decide which priority groups will get the vaccine first, such as nursing home residents, health and care personnel, the elderly and people who are clinically extremely vulnerable.
Both Pfizer-BioNTech and the American biotechnology firm Moderna have reported preliminary findings of more than 90% effectiveness, an unexpectedly high rate, in trials of their vaccines, which are based on new messenger RNA (mRNA) technology.
Pfizer said Britain’s emergency use authorization marks a historic moment in the fight against COVID-19.
“This authorization is a goal we have been working towards since we first declared that science will win, and we applaud the MHRA for its ability to conduct a careful assessment and take timely action to help protect the people of the UK. “said CEO Albert. Bourla.
“As we anticipate more authorizations and approvals, we are focused on moving forward with the same level of urgency to safely deliver a high-quality vaccine around the world.”
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the program would begin early next week. Hospitals, he said, were ready to receive him.
“This is very good news,” Hancock said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated channel.)
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