[ad_1]
Hospitals in England are said to have been told to prepare for the launch of a coronavirus vaccine in the coming weeks. Early results from the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine suggested that it is 95 percent effective in protecting against the virus, but it must be stored at extremely low temperatures.
Hospitals in England could receive their first deliveries of the jab in 10 days and regulatory approval is expected in a few days, according to The Guardian.
Sources from several hospitals across the country told the newspaper that NHS England said stocks of the vaccine are expected to arrive on December 7, 8 or 9.
However, the timeframe will depend on whether the vaccine is approved by the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
NHS England has not confirmed a date for the jab’s release due to various processes, including approval, that have yet to take place.
NHS workers are expected to be at the front of the line to get the vaccine, with nursing home residents and people over 80 having to wait, according to The Guardian.
The decision to first vaccinate NHS staff with the Pfizer vaccine comes despite the government ranking the other two groups as top priorities for immunization against the coronavirus.
This is reportedly due to Pfizer’s short shelf life and logistical difficulties in transporting the vaccine.
Last week Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that he had asked MHRA to have access to the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine for us in Britain.
READ MORE: Who will get the coronavirus vaccine first? Full list
Once the Pfizer vaccine leaves the factory in Belgium, it can only be drawn at -70 ° C four times before injecting it into a patient.
This makes it more difficult and expensive to transport and distribute to patients.
The initial orientation of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) prioritized residents of nursing homes over healthcare workers and those over 80 years of age.
But the committee added that the final decision on the distribution of a vaccine would depend on the characteristics of the jab.
On Monday, MHRA said it had received the information necessary to advance its review of the approval of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine.
The UK has ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine and expects to receive 10 million doses by the end of the year.
Britain has also ordered 100 million doses of the Oxford / AstraZeneca jab, which does not need to be kept in extremely cold temperatures.
The government has also asked MHRA to access the Oxford vaccine for approval.
On Friday, the UK recorded 16,022 new COVID-19 cases and 521 new coronavirus-related deaths.
This brings the total coronavirus deaths in Britain to more than 57,000.
[ad_2]
