Coronavirus vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech approved by UK regulators for launch in days

A Pfizer / BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine has been approved by the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for use in the UK. This means that mass vaccination can begin in just a few days.

Officials said the vaccine will be made available "starting next week" when Health Secretary Matt Hancock said "help is on the way".

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Welfare announced it just after 7 a.m. this morning as England exited its second national lockdown.

Mr. Hancock said, “Help is on the way. The MHRA has officially approved the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine for Covid-19.

& # 39; The NHS is ready to start vaccinating early next week.

"The UK is the first country in the world to have a clinically approved vaccine for supply."

Pfizer / BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine has been approved by the regulator

An employee in the Pfizer laboratories where he does research and development

Vials with the life-saving sting are seen when an employee is working on the Covid-19 vaccine

A spokesman for the DHSC added, "The government today accepted the recommendation from the Independent Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) to approve Pfizer / BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine.

& # 39; This follows months of rigorous clinical studies and a thorough analysis of the data by experts at MHRA who have concluded that the vaccine meets its strict safety, quality and efficacy standards.

& # 39; The Joint Vaccination and Immunization Committee (JCVI) will also shortly publish its latest recommendations for the priority groups to receive the vaccine, including nursing home residents, health and care workers, the elderly and the clinically extremely vulnerable .

"The vaccine will be available across the UK from next week."

A graphic of EU, US, Canada, UK, Japan, and Australia vaccine orders

A scientist in the Pfizer laboratory in New York is working on the new vaccine against the deadly virus

Speaking to Sky News, Hancock added that there would be three ways the vaccine could be dispensed.

He explained, “The first is the hospitals themselves, and of course we have such facilities.

50 hospitals across the country are already set up and waiting to receive the vaccine once it's approved. It can be done now.

“Also vaccination centers, which will be big centers where people can get vaccinated. You will now be set up.

& # 39; There will also be a community rollout including general practitioners and pharmacists.

“Due to the storage conditions for this vaccine at -70 ° C, you can of course support this rollout wherever you have these facilities.

"But they will also be there when the AstraZeneca vaccine is approved, as it does not meet these cold storage requirements and is therefore easier to implement operationally."

He added, "We are the first country in the world where a clinically approved vaccine can be introduced."

A few days ago, hospitals in England were told to prepare for a Covid-19 vaccine to roll out in just 10 days. According to reports, the NHS staff were the number one priority to get him.

The first shipments of the vaccine developed by Pfizer / BioNTech should take place between December 7th and 9th.

This vaccine, which gave early results suggesting the shock is 95 percent effective, needs to be stored at extremely low temperatures.

A hospital executive was told to expect the vaccine to be delivered to NHS staff on December 7th the following week.

On November 20, the Minister of Health announced that he had formally asked the Medicines Agency to evaluate the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine for use in the UK.

Matt Hancock hailed it as "another major step forward in combating this pandemic".

But he said while regulator approval saw a rollout that could begin next month "there is still a long way to go".

And the MHRA confirmed last Monday that it had received the necessary data to continue its verification that the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine met the required standards.

From the moment the Pfizer vaccine leaves the factory in Belgium, it can only be withdrawn four times from minus 70 ° C before being injected into a patient's arm.

Sir Simon Stevens, executive director of the NHS in England, said the vaccination program was "the largest vaccination campaign in our country's history".

In a statement, he said: & # 39; This is an important next step in our response to the coronavirus pandemic and hospitals are about to launch the first phase of the largest vaccination campaign in our country's history.

& # 39; The NHS has been shown to have extensive vaccinations from the winter flu shot to BCG. Once the final hurdles are cleared and the vaccine arrives at hospitals in England, health care workers will bring people this groundbreaking vaccination, a program that will be rolled out across the country in the coming months. & # 39;