Britain, which wants to speed up vaccination plans, has given approval for the covid-19 vaccine, which Pfizer and BioNTech co-developed. Vaccination work is expected to begin next week.
U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer and Germany-based biotech company BioNTech, whose founders include Turkish scientists, announced last month that the COVID-19 vaccine they developed was 95 percent effective against the virus.
Although the vaccine has not yet received worldwide approval, the pharmaceutical and Health Care Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA), the UK’s supervisory body that approves drugs and treatments, announced that Pfizer/BioNTech has approved the use of the COVID-19 vaccine in emergencies.
The UK to start vaccination study before 2020 ends
The UK had previously ordered 40 million doses to Pfizer for the vaccine in question. Of those orders, 10 million doses are expected to be delivered by the end of the year. British Health Minister Matt Hancock, speaking on the issue, said that 800 thousand vaccines will reach the country next week, and deliveries will continue throughout December, depending on the speed of production of the vaccine.
According to the UK Health Minister, the vaccination study will be carried out primarily with people in the high-risk group, the elderly, and those staying in care homes. According to Hancock, the vaccine will be given in two doses, which will be injected 21 days apart.
