(CMR) Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for use in the United Kingdom.
The announcement was made by Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Wednesday (December 2), after health regulators said that the “vaccine had met its strict standards of safety”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson took to Twitter following the announcement, tweeting “fantastic” noting that the protection provided by the vaccines would “ultimately allow us to reclaim our lives and get the economy moving again.”
According to the UK health department the approval of Pfizer's vaccine, “follows months of rigorous clinical trials and a thorough analysis of the data”.
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Dr. June Raine told a news conference that “no corners have been cut” during the approval process.
Raine explained that teams had been working simultaneously to speed up the process.
The vaccine is to be rolled out among the elderly demographic first, with seniors and healthcare workers among the first, according to the UK's schedule to get the shot.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine works by making use of a piece of genetic material called messenger RNA to prompt the body to make synthetic pieces of the coronavirus and stimulate an immune response.
While vaccines usually take years to develop, Pfizer got its latest one on the market in approximately 11 months.
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
