Britain authorizes the use of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

LONDON: On December 30, Britain gave authorization for rollout of Oxford University-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first country in the world to do so. It is the second vaccine to get authorization in the United Kingdom (UK) after the emergency approval given to Pfizer vaccine on December 2. According to the Government of the United Kingdom, the decision was taken after a recommendation from Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency requested the government to authorize the use of Oxford University-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine is expected to be a game changer in UK, where millions of people were put in tier 4 restrictions yesterday.

According to the press release, the rollout is expected to begin early next week. The priority will be given to care home residents, people over 80 years of age and healthcare workers. Eventually, people in 50s and younger people with ailments will be offered a jab of the vaccine in the first phase of rollout. The government said with the approval of two vaccines, it is expecting to vaccinate nearly 2 million people per week.

Astra Zeneca in a separate press statement said that the recommended dosage of the vaccine is 2 shots administered within 4-12 weeks. Because of its low cost, simple storage, availability and ease of use, it is expected to become a prime vaccine candidate for many countries.