“The government today accepted an MHRA recommendation to approve Pfizer / BioNTech’s covid-19 vaccine for use. This comes after months of rigorous clinical trials and data analysis by MHRA experts who have concluded that the vaccine has met safety, quality and efficacy standards, ”a spokesman for the UK Department of Health told the Guardian.
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Data from clinical trials have shown that the vaccine is as effective in young people as in seniors over 65, who are most at risk for covid-19. Efficacy did not depend on race or gender either. “The vaccine is effective across age and ethnicity. For seniors, the efficiency was over 94 percent, “says a joint statement by Pfizer and BioNTech.
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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
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“It simply came to our notice then. The completely independent regulator MHRA has approved the vaccine for clinical use. The NHS (National Health System) is ready for that. so at the beginning of next week, a vaccination program against covid-19 will begin in our country, “said Minister Hancok.
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He confirmed that the NHS was ready to meet the difficult conditions for the transport and storage of the vaccine, which must be kept at minus 75 degrees in order not to lose its effectiveness. However, it can be stored for five days even at temperatures between two and eight degrees, ie in a normal refrigerator. This will allow people in nursing homes to be vaccinated first, many of whom cannot go to vaccination centers.
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According to the Ministry of Health, the latest recommendations on which groups of people will be vaccinated first will be published soon. NHS Director Simon Stevens has announced that the covid-19 vaccination will be “the largest vaccination campaign in the history of our country.” According to him, this is an important next step in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
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Britain should receive ten million doses out of a total of 40 million ordered this year, and their distribution will begin immediately.
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Deliveries will be in three stages. The first will be for the hospitals themselves, with 50 of them already ready and waiting for deliveries. Vaccine centers will also be given to the vaccine. They are now being set up. Another channel will be pharmacies and general practitioners, but only if they are able to store the substance at the required temperature.
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Britain overtook the United States
Hancock emphasized that Britain had overtaken the United States and other Western countries in the approval process. The MHRA was given the power to approve the vaccine before 1 January 2021. Since then, it will be fully responsible for drug approval, but now it still has to comply with EU rules, as the transitional period after Brexit has not ended.
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The MHRA decided a week after receiving the final data on the third phase of clinical trials on November 23.
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| The Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine is an type of mRNA, so it uses part of the SASR-CoV-2 coronavirus gene chain, which describes a protein that binds a virus to an infected cell. When the RNA sequence describing this protein enters human cells, they begin to produce it and the body makes antibodies to it. These antibodies will then also be effective against SARS-CoV-2. |
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