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The UK has already recorded at least 71,000 corona deaths and 2.3 million cases of infection.
Now they have to accelerate the pace of vaccination to prevent daily deaths from reaching a new record, according to a study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, reported by Reuters.
The study claims that the UK is heading for a higher infection peak than before the summer. To avoid such a spike, all schools must close in January, while two million Britons must be vaccinated weekly.
Waiting for new vaccine
If the vaccine program is not implemented quickly enough, the UK is also likely to have even more corona deaths in 2021 than in 2020, according to the study.
The British used the vaccine from Pfizer and Biontech in early December, as the first country in the world. Starting January 4, they will also begin rolling out the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine, which is easier to store and handle.
Facts about the Pfizer Coronary Vaccine
* The corona vaccine developed by Pfizer and Biontech provides protection against covid-19 in 94 percent of cases.
* The vaccine, called BNT162b2, is taken in two doses three weeks apart. It gives its full effect one week after the second dose is taken.
* The EU pays 15.50 euros (approximately 163 crowns) per dose, according to a leaked document.
* It is one of the so-called mRNA vaccines.
* Must be stored at minus 70 degrees. It only lasts five days in the refrigerator.
* First tested in 43,000 people in a phase 3 study.
* So far no serious side effects have been reported. However, some allergic reactions have been reported in the United States, but it is not uncommon for vaccines to cause certain side effects.
* Approved and used in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, where hundreds of thousands have already received the vaccine.
* The Pfizer vaccine received a green light from the EMA of the European Medicines Agency on Monday, December 21.
* Norway has guaranteed access through European cooperation. On Saturday, December 26, the first delivery arrived and on Sunday, December 27, the first dose was set.
Sources: Norwegian Medicines Agency, NTB, BBC, AFP, AP, Reuters
The British government has ordered 100 million doses of vaccines and most are expected to be ready by March.
Challenging durability
Here in Norway, we are not likely to have a third wave of infection, according to Chief Physician Preben Aavitsland of the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH).
Aavitsland tells TV 2 that Norway will prevent a third wave of infection just by continuing with the same measures as today.
– Then we get vaccinated as quickly as we can, but what limits is, of course, how much vaccine we can get, he says.
In the future, Norway will receive approximately 40,000 doses of coronary vaccine each week. Through 2021, the plan is for the weekly number of doses to be significantly higher.
– We must have a vaccination rate as high as possible, to keep the epidemic under control, without having these restrictive measures at the same time. Given that we vaccinate a large portion of the population, we can see if some of the restrictions can be removed, says Aavitsland.
– Now we are in the process of mass vaccination. What is the biggest challenge with this process, as you see it?
– It is enough that the vaccine has a shelf life of only five days after being taken out of the freezer. So the municipalities must have a good organization for vaccination, so that those who are going to be vaccinated can present themselves in five days. Otherwise, the vaccines must be discarded, he says.
Fear of the mutated virus
Recently, a mutated version of the coronavirus was detected in Norway. The virus can be up to 70 percent more contagious than the version we have had so far in the country.
Aavitsland believes that the mutated virus means we had an even worse time with vaccination.
– Although the cases that have been diagnosed so far are controlled, the external pressure will be greater because new, more contagious variants can constantly arrive, he says.
– Do we have to consider the fact that there are many more people infected with this new variant than we know of so far?
– Not much more, but it may well be that now we have some cases of this variant in this country, and that we will get it in the future. The deciding factor is whether that variant attacks and begins to spread. So we have to hit hard to get it under control.
