[News] COVID-19 vaccine begins to be distributed in UK hospitals

[#Steeven.™]

The coronavirus vaccine developed by the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer and the German BioNTech began shipping to hospitals across the United Kingdom in super cold containers on Sunday, two days before the start of the largest immunization program in the history of Great Britain. .

Some 800,000 doses are expected to be available by Tuesday.

Last week, the country became the first to authorize the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine for emergency use. In trials, the vaccine was shown to be nearly 95% effective.

They will be applied in principle in 50 hospitals in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will start on the same day.

Governments and health agencies around the world will be monitoring the British vaccination program to observe its successes and failures and adjust their own plans. The United States expects to begin vaccinations later this month.

British regulatory authorities are also examining data on vaccines made by Moderna and AstraZeneca-Oxford University.

Russia on Saturday began injecting thousands of doctors, teachers and others at dozens of centers in Moscow with the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine, which was approved in the summer.

The excitement in Britain, which has the highest number of virus-related deaths in Europe at over 61,000, was palpable.

"Next week will be a historic moment as vaccination against COVID-19 begins," said Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

People who will receive the vaccine first will be those patients 80 years of age or older who are in hospitals, including outpatients; people who work in nursing homes and those health workers who are considered high risk. Everyone will need a booster dose 21 days later.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment on speculation that whether 94-year-old Queen Elizabeth II and her 99-year-old husband Prince Philip will be vaccinated, a move that could reassure anyone nervous about getting the vaccine. .

The UK has secured 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Since only people over the age of 16 will be immunized, about 55 million people will be eligible.

Delivery of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is complicated because it must be stored in very cold temperatures, around -70 degrees Celsius (-94 F). After thawing the vaccine, which takes a few hours, additional time is required to prepare it for injection.