A coronavirus vaccine developed by pharmaceutical firm, AstraZeneca and Oxford University has been approved for use in the UK, the government announced on Wednesday, adding the mass rollout will start on January 4.
The vaccine can be stored, transported and handled at normal refrigerated conditions, and is therefore cheaper and easier to administer than the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna jabs that require freezing.
Britain will become the first nation to roll out the jab on January 4, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said, amid mounting concerns that another dangerous spike in infections threatens to overwhelm the NHS.
“Brilliant to end 2020 with such a moment of hope.
Read also: AstraZeneca, Oxford Say COVID-19 Vaccine 70% Effective
“The #coronavirus vaccine is our way out of the pandemic — now we need to hold our nerve while we get through this together,” Hancock said in a video shared on Twitter.
According to him, the vaccines will be made available based on “clinical need not ability to pay.”
The government said in a statement earlier that it had “today accepted the recommendation from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to authorise AstraZeneca vaccine for use.
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