While Americans wait patiently for a COVID-19 vaccine to be approved and distributed, residents of the UK awoke to positive British politics news this morning. The MHRA, UK’s version of the FDA, announced that they had approved a COVID vaccine manufactured by Pfizer and BioNTech. Roughly 800,000 doses of the vaccine are already en route and ready to be distributed within the next few days.
The first doses have already been prioritized, with care home residents and staff the first to receive the shots. Next on the priority list are healthcare workers and residents over the age of 80. Shots will be administered in hospitals, as they are the only places able to properly store the vaccine; Which needs to be kept at a temperature of -70C.
Overall, the British government has ordered 40 million doses of the vaccine. Since each person requires two doses, this will be enough to cover 20 million UK residents. The vaccine is currently in production at the Pfizer plant in Belgium. The company saying that millions of doses will be delivered to the UK through December. The rest of the world will almost certainly be watching to get an idea of how smoothly the process goes from start to finish.
Government Reaction to the British Politics News
Health Secretary Matt Hancock let residents know that they will be contacted by the NHS when the vaccine, which will be free but not mandatory, is available. He stated that it would likely be Easter before the entire order was fulfilled. Still, he was certainly excited about the possibility of a much better summer ahead for the UK public in 2021.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was confident that the vaccine’s arrival would help people get their lives back to normal and get the economy back on the right track.
The NHS, which has been highly praised for its handling of the pandemic; is gearing up for what is sure to be a massive operation over the coming weeks and months. Roughly 50 hospitals are on standby waiting for the vaccine to arrive; Vaccination centers, which will be housed in stadiums and conference venues are being prepared for the incoming vaccine.
The government’s chief medical adviser; Chris Whitty, was quick to point out that people still needed to remain vigilant and maintain safety procedures for the foreseeable future.
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