Foreign Property News | Posted by Zarni Kyaw
The Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved by the UK medicines regulator, opening up the possibility of rapidly scaling up vaccination against Covid-19 within days.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) has approved the vaccine for use in the UK. Because it needs only normal refrigeration at 2-8C and is easily transported, the rollout to GP practices and care homes will be swift.
The first batches of vaccine are already in the UK and more will be made in UK factories, ensuring a good supply. The UK has ordered 100m doses, of which 4m are expected to be available within the next few days.
Announcing the approval, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said on Wednesday the vaccine would be available for those at the highest risk of Covid-19.
The government’s joint committee on vaccination and immunisation (JCVI) has advised that priority should be to give as many people in at-risk groups their first dose of either the Oxford or Pfizer vaccine, rather than providing the required two doses in as short a time as possible.
“Everyone will still receive their second dose and this will be within 12 weeks of their first. The second dose completes the course and is important for longer term protection,” said a DHSC spokesperson.
The decision to approve the vaccine followed “rigorous clinical trials and a thorough analysis of the data by experts at the MHRA, which has concluded that the vaccine has met its strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness”, the DHSC said.
Ref: the guardian
