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Summary
- Britain is the first western country to start the vaccination program on 8 December
- The NHS frontline staff, care home residents, and people above the age of 80 will be initially administered the vaccine
Britain has become the first western country in the world to roll out the Covid-19 vaccine from 8 December jointly developed by US pharma major Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech 8. The inoculation programme is being closely administered by the government and public health officials and would be rolled out at 50 hospitals across the whole nation.
A year ago, an unidentified respiratory disease started in Wuhan of China, which engulfed almost all countries in the world throwing normal patterns of life and work out of order. The virus has killed around 1.5 million people across the world and affected tens of millions more and forced most countries to stop their economic activities.
Last week, Britain had approved the emergency use of this vaccine last week after Pfizer and BioNTech had announced that their potential Covid-19 vaccine was 95 per cent effective in preventing the virus based on its final stage trial results.
The first lot of the doses reached the UK on Thursday night through the Eurotunnel from Belgium, where the vaccine was manufactured. On Sunday, the vaccines were delivered to the selected hospitals.
To Know More, Do Read: Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine just few hours away from the UK, says Deputy CMO
Vaccines ordered
The UK has successfully ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shots that will be sufficient to vaccinate 20 million people. This is because each person would need two doses to get immunised. Within this week itself, the UK is set to receive around 800,000 vaccine shots.
Besides, the UK has signed deals with seven different countries for 357 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccines.
Vaccination roster
The frontline staff working of the NHS, health service workers, care home residents, and people above the age of 80 will be given the vaccine on priority basis.
Below is the step-by-step list for coronavirus inoculation program in the UK, based on the level of priority:
- Residents in care home for the old
- All those above 80 years and frontline workers
- All those above 75 years
- All those above 70 years and extremely vulnerable
- All those above 65 years
- All those between 16-64 years who are not in healthy conditions
- All those above 60 years
- All those above 55 years
- All those above 50 years
(Source: UK Dept for Health and Social Care)
(Source: ©Kalkine Group 2020)
Storage and distribution
The distribution networks of Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine roll-out will actually be put under a test as the shot needs to be stored at a super chilling -70C (-94F). Prior to bringing the vaccine to use, it would require a few hours to get defrosted.
The health ministry of the UK has notified that the vaccine would be managed and regulated in 50 hospitals first and cannot be immediately taken to the care homes.
The Turning Point
The roll out of the vaccine for the masses is a ray of hope for the world that has been struggling to overcome the pandemic. The coronavirus crisis has crushed economies, but the distribution of vaccines will surely be a turning point for the UK and hopefully for other countries very soon.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is hoping that the rolling out of the vaccine will be successful in combating the disease. Simon Stevens, the chief executive of the NHS, has said that the distribution of this vaccine marked a turning point in the fight against the Covid-19 crisis.
The UK’s decision to approve the vaccine was criticised by many countries and health officials, who said that the Johnson government rushed into the decision before regulators could review it carefully. On its part, UK regulator the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it had approved the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine after it "rigorously assessing the data thoroughly without comprising details”.
