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It seems the wait to get a clinically-approved coronavirus vaccine has come to an end for the Brits as the government authorities have reportedly asked the hospitals to be prepared for the distribution of Covid-19 vaccine within next 10 days.
According to reports, the initial deliveries of the coronavirus vaccine jointly prepared by the New York-headquartered pharmaceutical major Pfizer and the Germany-based BioNTech are expected to arrive on December 7 or in the first few days of the second week of December.
Earlier this month, Pfizer and BioNTech collectively announced the efficacy results of the coronavirus vaccine candidates being developed at their respective facilities.
In Phase 3 clinical trials of Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, it has been found that the vaccine shot prepared by the pharmaceutical companies was 90 per cent effective against the Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. Following the update from Pfizer and BioNTech, a worldwide gush of optimism was seen, with the stock market rallying to multi-month highs.
Guidelines issued
Recently, the government introduced a new chapter in the vital guide for public health professionals that are entitled to administer the coronavirus vaccine in the UK. The new coronavirus chapter includes guidelines on the storage, dosing, and schedule of the vaccines, suggestions on vaccination of high risk groups, and the new training and information materials that have been developed to train the healthcare workforce who will be subjected to deliver the coronavirus vaccine.
Other than this, the chapter outlines the groups recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) that are supposed to be dealt with priority helping the NHS in the deployment of initial doses of the coronavirus vaccine. The instructions with regards to the potential adverse effects of coronavirus vaccine, e-learning modules for the new COVID-19 vaccine, training recommendations for COVID-19 vaccinators, and a competency assessment tool are also included in the chapter.
Who will be vaccinated first?
The healthcare workers and the staff deployed by the NHS in the country are likely to be vaccinated on a priority basis, while the senior citizens above the age of 80 years and care home residents will be the second in the queue for the vaccine shot. The workers enrolled in the healthcare and social care services will remain at the forefront to assist in tackling the coronavirus pandemic with the expertise of delivering millions of vaccines of flu to MMR in a calendar year, said Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisations at PHE.
Govt seeks advice on Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine
Separately, the government on Friday, 27 November, formally requested the drug regulator of the United Kingdom to assess the suitability and the coronavirus vaccine prepared by Oxford/AstraZeneca. The vaccine shot prepared by AstraZeneca in association with the University of Oxford has revealed a confusing set of results with the efficacy of vaccine varying from 90 per cent to 62 per cent. The data reported by AstraZeneca suggests that the coronavirus vaccine being developed by the pharmaceutical company has achieved an average efficacy of 70 per cent.
