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The UK has become the first country in the world to approve a Covid-19 vaccine for public use.
On Wednesday, Pfizer and BioNTech said they had been given permission for emergency use of their vaccine.
It means that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the world’s first coronavirus vaccine backed by rigorous science. This marks an important step in finally ending the global coronavirus pandemic.
British media have reported that hospitals in England have been told to prepare to start vaccinating medical workers from next week.
Britain will be one of the first countries to start vaccinating its population as it tries to curb Europe’s deadliest Covid-19 outbreak.
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Other countries are not far behind: The United States and the European Union are also investigating the Pfizer injection alongside a similar vaccine made by competitor Moderna Inc.
New Zealand has reserved 1.5 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, enough to protect 750,000 people, as a double dose of the vaccine is needed.
However, it could still take a while for a widespread launch of the vaccine in New Zealand, as it still requires Medsafe approval.
University of Maryland School of Medicine / via AP
Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine has been approved for public use in the UK.
Pfizer said it would immediately begin shipping limited supplies to the UK, and has been preparing for even wider distribution if the US Food and Drug Administration gives it a similar go-ahead, a decision that is expected. for next week.
But doses everywhere are in short supply and initial supplies will be rationed until more are made in the first months of next year.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla called the UK’s decision “a historic moment.”
“We are focusing on moving forward with the same level of urgency to safely deliver a high-quality vaccine around the world,” Bourla said in a statement.
Bebeto Matthews / AP
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine provides “extraordinarily strong protection” against Covid-19, according to the CEO of BioNTech.
While the UK has ordered enough Pfizer vaccines for 20 million people, it is unclear how many will arrive by the end of the year and, in addition to distribution challenges, it must be stored in extremely cold temperatures.
Two doses three weeks apart are required for protection. First in line, the UK government says, are frontline healthcare workers and nursing home residents, followed by older adults.
British regulators are also considering another opportunity made by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. But Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that “we must first go through a harsh winter” of restrictions to try to curb the virus until there is enough vaccine for everyone.
Each country has different rules for determining when an experimental vaccine is safe and effective enough for use. Intense political pressure to be the first to launch a rigorously scientifically proven shot colored the race in the United States and Britain, even as researchers vowed not to take shortcuts. On the contrary, China and Russia have offered different vaccines to their citizens before the last stage tests.
Pfizer / AP
Experts say a vaccine approved for emergency use like Pfizer’s is still experimental and final testing needs to be completed.
Injections by US-based Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech were tested in tens of thousands of people. And while that study isn’t complete, early results suggest that the vaccine is 95 percent effective in preventing mild-to-severe Covid-19 disease. The companies told regulators that of the first 170 infections detected in study volunteers, only eight were among people who had received the real vaccine and the rest had received a fake injection.
“This is extraordinarily strong protection,” said Dr. Ugur Sahin, CEO of BioNTech, recently. The Associated Press.
The companies also reported no serious side effects, although vaccine recipients may experience temporary pain and flu-like reactions immediately after the injections.
John cairns
Some Covid-19 vaccines are in development around the world.
But experts warn that a vaccine approved for emergency use is still experimental and the final test must be completed.
It remains to be determined whether Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines protect against people who spread the coronavirus without showing symptoms. Another question is how long the protection lasts.
The vaccine has also been tested in only a small number of children, none younger than 12 years old, and there is no information on its effects in pregnant women.
– AP and stuff
