The Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Has Been Approved in the UK
Ordering enough doses to vaccinate 50 million people.
Following the rollout of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at the beginning of December, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has also been approved and will begin rolling out shortly.
Designed at the beginning of the pandemic, the vaccine received its first trial in April 2020, and has been through extensive testing and trials involving thousands of people, making it ready for large-scale use. “We will now move to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible,” said the Prime Minister, announcing that the first dose will be given on Monday.
The UK has ordered 100 million doses, which will be enough to vaccinate 50 million people. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that together with the Pfizer-BioNTech jab, the amount will be enough to vaccinate the entire population.
The vaccine approval comes as England is fighting its highest single day rise in coronavirus cases, reaching 53,135, and with talks of the country going into its toughest tier four restrictions thus far.
