The UK National Health Service is preparing for mass vaccination (Representational)
London:
A coronavirus vaccine, jointly developed by scientists at the University of Oxford and the pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, may be approved by health regulators later this year, according to a report by UK media.
The candidate vaccine is the most advanced in the testing process, according to a report in The Times citing British government sources. “We are looking at close to six months and it is likely to be much shorter than that,” said one of those sources.
Under a protocol developed by the UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization, any approved vaccine will be given to all people over the age of 65, followed by the youngest adults most at risk. These could include people from ethnic minorities, as well as people with serious health problems. People over 50 will be next in line, with the youngest adults at the end of the line.
The government has ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine once it is ready for release, and to save time the doses are being manufactured even before it has been successful.
According to the media report, the trial scientists are hopeful that it will prevent at least 50 percent of infections, which is considered the threshold of success.
If approved, the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is ready to start mass vaccination immediately.
However, some in government are more cautious about deadlines. A Royal Society report this week, co-authored by an Indian-born scientist, warned of the enormous and arduous task ahead of us to produce and distribute a vaccine.
“Even when the vaccine is available, it doesn’t mean that within a month everyone will be vaccinated. We are talking about six to nine months to a year after a vaccine is approved,” said Professor Nilay Shah, head of chemical engineering at Imperial. . College London.
However, the Department of Health has tried to downplay the Royal Society’s findings. “This study does not reflect the enormous amount of planning and preparation that has taken place throughout the government to rapidly launch a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine,” said a department spokesman.
.
