Uk government has authorised the first coronavirus vaccine Pfizer-BioNTech for use among the general population starting from next week.
This announcement was made after the UK’s independent medicines agency approved the Pfizer-BioNTech jab.
The health secretary Matt Hancock said the vaccine has shown to be 95 per cent effective and it will be made available from next week for priority groups with the NHS on standby.
“From early next week we will start vaccinating people against Covid-19,” he told the media today.
In a statement, the Department of Health and Social care said, “this follows months of rigorous clinical trials and a thorough analysis of the data by experts at the MHRA who have concluded that the vaccine has met its strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.
“The Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI) will shortly publish its final advice for the priority groups to receive the vaccine, including care home residents, health and care staff, the elderly and the clinically extremely vulnerable.”
The government has ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, with 10 million due in the UK by the end of 2020. Patients need two doses, meaning not enough shots have been secured for the entire population.
The UK became the first western country to approve the vaccine.
