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LONDON (REUTERS) – Britain will begin rolling out the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech on Tuesday (December 8), the first Western country to begin vaccinating its general population in what was hailed as a watershed milestone. in the defeat of the coronavirus.
The mass inoculation will fuel hope that the world is turning a corner in the fight against a pandemic that has crushed economies and killed more than 1.5 million, although ultra-cold storage and complicated logistics will limit its use for now.
Britain is the European country worst affected by Covid-19, with more than 61,000 deaths, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes to turn the tide of the disease by rolling out the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine before the United States or the Union. European.
Britain approved the vaccine for emergency use less than a week ago and is rolling it out through its National Health Service (NHS).
“The deployment of this vaccine marks a decisive turning point in the battle against the pandemic,” said NHS Executive Director Simon Stevens. “NHS staff are proud to lead the way as the first health service in the world to begin vaccination with this Covid vaccine.”
In all, Britain has ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech injection.
Since each person requires two doses, that’s enough to vaccinate 20 million people in the country of 67 million.
Around 800,000 doses are expected to be available during the first week, with nursing home residents and caregivers, those over 80 and some health care workers the highest priority in obtaining them.
The implementation provides a test case for the Pfizer and BioNTech distribution networks.
The injection should be stored at -70 degrees C and only lasts for five days in a normal refrigerator.
While Britain is relatively small and has a good infrastructure, logistical challenges mean that it will be applied in 50 hospitals first and cannot yet be brought into nursing homes.
Pfizer and BioNTech said their injection was found to be 95 percent effective in preventing disease in end-stage tests. In all, Britain has ordered 357 million doses of seven different Covid-19 vaccines.
Russia and China have begun administering candidate vaccines to their populations before final safety and efficacy trials have been completed.
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