The United Kingdom approved the use of a coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca on Wednesday, with the first doses set to be administered next week.
The U.K. has ordered 100 million doses from AstraZeneca, and when combining the number of doses from this vaccine, the Moderna vaccine, and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the entire population should be able to get vaccinated, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said, according to the BBC.
“This is important because it means that we can get the first dose into more people more quickly, and they can get the protection the first dose gives you,” U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News on Wednesday. “The scientists and the regulators have looked at the data and found that you get what they call ‘very effective protection’ from the first dose. The second dose is still important, especially for the long-term protection, but it does mean that we will be able to vaccinate more people more quickly than we previously could.”
The AstraZeneca vaccine is easier to store than the others. It needs to be stored at regular refrigerator temperature while the Pfizer vaccine has to be kept at -94 degrees. The AstraZeneca vaccine is cheaper to produce as well.
“This is a moment to celebrate British innovation — not only are we responsible for discovering the first treatment to reduce mortality for COVID-19, this vaccine will be made available to some of the poorest regions of the world at a low cost,” Hancock added. “Helping protect countless people from this awful disease. It is a tribute to the incredible U.K. scientists at Oxford University and AstraZeneca, whose breakthrough will help to save lives around the world. I want to thank every single person who has been part of this British success story. While it is a time to be hopeful, it is so vital everyone continues to play their part to drive down infections.”
Professor Andrew Pollard, the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group and the chief investigator of the Oxford Vaccine Trial, called the regulator’s decision to approve the vaccine “a landmark moment,” adding that this is “an endorsement of the huge effort from a devoted international team of researchers and our dedicated trial participants.”
More than 2.3 million U.K. residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and more than 71,000 people have died due to complications from it, according to Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus tracker. The vaccine came as a variant of the coronavirus has emerged. The U.K. recorded 53,135 new COVID-19 cases, a record, and 414 more deaths Tuesday.
