Pfizer vaccine got a massive milestone in the fight against the pandemic as the U.K. formally authorized its use far more quickly than any other in history.
On Wednesday, December 2, 2020, Pfizer and BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine became the first vaccine that has been formally approved, and it happened in the United Kingdom. It is fastest in history, outperforming the traditional developing and approval timeline of 15-20 years to develop these types of medicines.
The British government said that the Pfizer vaccine first batch of injections are set to be moved out next week, which will cover a small number of front liners, and people over 80.
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Matt Hancock, British Health Secretary, told the BBC that when the initial batch does reach Pfizer's plant in Belgium, it will contain around 800,000 doses, and rolling out this vaccination won't be easy. Mainly because the U.K. has ordered 40 million doses of a two-shot regimen of Pfizer vaccine- adequate for up to a third of the populace, most of the Pfizer vaccine won't come until next year.
British regulators have made this pronouncement ahead, trying to strike the right balance between effectiveness, safety, and speed to protect its citizens, as nearly 60,000 died from the virus in the U.K. In a statement, Prime Minister Boris Johnson further said, "It's fantastic. It's the protection of vaccines that will ultimately allow us to reclaim our lives and get the economy moving again."
Hancock further said, "By the end of the year, the supply will likely ramp up into the "millions," deliberately declining to give a specific figure because it will be "determined by how quickly Pfizer can manufacture in Belgium."
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Dr. Monsef Slaoui, chief advisor of President Donald Trump's Operation Wrap Speed has stated that once the Emergency Use Authorization has been approved of the Pfizer vaccine, it would be quickly disseminated to the citizens of the US. He also stated that due to herd immunity, once the vaccine has been distributed, the people can soon go back to their normal lives.
U.S. FDA regulators had stated that Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have submitted applications for emergency use of authorization, which by next week, they are set to discuss the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine.
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However, the British government on Wednesday, stated that: "By that time it is estimated that Pfizer and BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine will be accessible across the U.K." It is to resolve the problem that the U.K. has, being one of the highest Covid-19 fatalities per capita in the world, behind only Italy, Spain, Peru, and Belgium.
Pfizer vaccine clinical trials found it was 95 percent effective at averting symptomatic Covid-19. It is, according to Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, one of three front-runners that have delivered promising results.
In a news release, Albert Bourla Pfizer CEO said, "This authorization is a goal we have been working toward since we first declared that science will win," following the British decision.
