London: One of the UK’s top medical chiefs has indicated that a COVID-19 vaccine could be ready to roll out early in the New Year, according to a media report on Sunday.
Jonathan Van-Tam, England’s deputy chief medical officer and one of the government’s advisers on the coronavirus pandemic, reportedly told Members of Parliament (MP) that the vaccine created at Oxford University and manufactured by AstraZeneca could be ready for use. its implementation shortly after Christmas. in December.
In India, the vaccine has a Serum Institute of India link while it undergoes testing.
“We are not light years away. It is not a totally unrealistic suggestion that we can implement a vaccine shortly after Christmas. That would have a significant impact on hospital admissions and deaths,” he quoted Van Tam of the Sunday Times as telling deputies during a briefing last week.
A deputy who attended another briefing with Van-Tam told the newspaper that the doctor was “very optimistic about the results of the third stage of AstraZeneca, which he expects between the end of this month and the end of next.”
“Van-Tam hopes that it will protect the elderly and vulnerable. He gave us to understand that he stopped the ‘spread’ of the virus in the young. He said that he would expect vaccination to start in January,” said the MP.
It comes as the UK government introduced new laws on Friday that would allow greater numbers of healthcare workers to administer flu and potential COVID-19 vaccines.
“COVID-19 vaccines are developing at a rate that, if successful, will save lives,” Van-Tam said, referring to the new rules.
“All vaccines must go through three stages of clinical trials and the regulator must evaluate their safety and efficacy before administering them to patients. The measures outlined today aim to improve access and strengthen existing safeguards that protect patients,” he said .
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the new measures would increase access to vaccines against life-threatening diseases and would also support the government’s plans for the deployment of a possible COVID-19 vaccine that has been shown to be safe and effective. through robust clinical trials approved for use by the regulator.
“The National Health Service (NHS) has vast experience in vaccinating millions of people against diseases every year,” said UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
“These legal changes will help us do everything possible to ensure that we are ready to implement a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it has passed clinical trials and the rigorous regulator,” he said.
The goal is to increase the number of fully trained and experienced healthcare professionals to administer COVID-19 and flu vaccines under the occupational health schemes of the NHS and local authorities, as well as enable an expanded workforce that can administer these vaccines. to the public. This will make it easier and faster for patients and healthcare workers to access the vaccines they need, protecting them against fatal diseases, the DHSC said.
Therefore, if a vaccine is developed before 2021, changes to the Human Medicine Regulations will reinforce existing powers that allow the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to authorize the temporary supply of any treatment or vaccine needed to respond to a public health situation. need.
This means that if a vaccine is found to meet MHRA standards for safety, quality and effectiveness, then vaccines can be started without the need to wait for the European Medicines Agency which, until the end of the transition period on 31 December this year – would have been the only body capable of granting a license.
Dr. Christian Schneider, MHRA Acting Scientific Director, said: “No vaccine will be deployed unless strict standards have been met through a comprehensive program of clinical trials.
“The preferred route to enable the deployment of any new vaccine remains through the usual product licensing processes. But now there are strengthened safeguards to strengthen the regulatory regime and our ability to protect public health, should temporary authorizations are necessary “.
The first vaccines will be given to the elderly and vulnerable, followed by vaccination of those most at risk. Any deployment to the entire population is expected to be a much longer-term process.
This story was published from a news agency feed with no changes to the text. Only the title has been changed.
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