Britain’s regulators have authorised for emergency use a Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech, paving the way for the vaccination to kick off as early as next week.
It was Health Secretary Matt Hancock who broke the news on the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA)’s decision this morning.
Help is on its way.
The MHRA has formally authorised the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for Covid-19.
The NHS stands ready to start vaccinating early next week.
The UK is the first country in the world to have a clinically approved vaccine for supply.
— Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) December 2, 2020
The announcement was made on the day when the four-week lockdown was lifted in England, replaced by the new Covid tier restrictions.
The MHRA’s authorisation comes ahead of similar decisions in the EU and the USA, with Business Secretary Alok Sharma highlighting that the UK is the first to deploy the vaccine.
The UK was the first country to sign a deal with Pfizer/BioNTech – now we will be the first to deploy their vaccine
To everyone involved in this breakthrough: thank you
In years to come, we will remember this moment as the day the UK led humanity’s charge against this disease
— Alok Sharma (@AlokSharma_RDG) December 2, 2020
Britain’s move was praised by Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla as a “historic moment”.
He said in a statement that “this authorisation is a goal we have been working toward since we first declared that science will win, and we applaud the MHRA for their ability to conduct a careful assessment and take timely action to help protect the people of the UK.”
The announcement was also welcomed by the UK’s newly-appointed vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi as a “major step forward in the fight against Covid”.
The UK previously ordered 40 million doses of the vaccine, which has shown to have 95 per cent efficacy in clinical trials, with no major safety concerns.
Meanwhile, there are challenges for distributing the Pfizer vaccine as it requires to be stored at -70C. Each person is required to get two doses three weeks apart for protection.
In an interview with Sky News on the same day, Hancock noted that 800,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine are being brought from Belgium.
“50 hospitals across the country are already set up and waiting to receive the vaccine as soon as it’s approved, so that can now happen,” he said. Hancock added that mass inoculations will also be carried out in vaccination centres, which are being set up now.
He also noted that the military are involved in the logistics of the vaccine rollout.
The UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation will decide on how the vaccine will be prioritised among the population.
British regulators are also considering a rival homegrown vaccine made by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, as well as a shot from the American company Moderna. The UK earlier preordered 100 million doses of the former and 7 million doses of the latter.