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NHS hospitals across the country have been told to await a coronavirus vaccine since Wednesday, according to reports.
The hospital trusts were reportedly told to prepare for the Pfizer / BioNtech jab to be approved by the Medicines and Health Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
The vaccine is said to be 95 percent effective and is the only one currently being evaluated by the watchdog.
If the MHRA gives you the green light, the doses are expected to be available in a few days, the Telegraph reports.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has been saying for several weeks that the NHS should be ready to launch an innovative vaccine against the killer virus before Christmas.
According to a tentative list compiled by Public Health England, nursing home residents and staff should receive the first doses, followed by anyone 80 and over, care workers and NHS staff.
However, because the Pfizer / BioNtech vaccine must be stored at -70 ° C, it has a shelf life of only five days, and reportedly cannot be moved more than four times before making it less effective, it is expected that administered to NHS workers. first while plans are finalized to transfer him to nursing homes.
If approved by the MHRA, the vaccine production plant in Belgium will move it to storage centers in Britain and then move it to hospitals.
Imperial College Professor Peter Openshaw, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group, said Sunday that a coronavirus vaccine could be available “starting next week.”
The news comes when the government secured another two million doses of the Moderna vaccine, the second to announce its results, which is 95 percent effective.
This brings the total number of injections ordered by the American firm Moderna to seven million, which is enough to vaccinate around 3.5 million people in the UK.
Pfizer said it will not release any doses until approval has been given.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that he has appointed Conservative Minister Nadhim Zahawi to oversee the deployment of the coronavirus vaccine.
Downing Street said in a statement: “The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of MP Nadhim Zahawi as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department of Health and Welfare.”
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“He continues to be Parliamentary Undersecretary of State in the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.”
Zahawi will focus on the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine, and the temporary fix will last at least until next summer.
He will report to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, with his primary focus on vaccine implementation, although he will retain some of his business responsibilities.
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