- Covid vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca has been authorized for emergency use in the UK
- It is expected to be rolled out next week
- It would be added to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine which has so far been given to 600,000 people in the UK
The coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca has been authorized for emergency use in the U.K., marking another step in the global battle against the pandemic.
AstraZeneca said the authorization was for a two dose regime, and that the vaccine had been approved for use for emergency supply. Britain has ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine.
“The government has today accepted the recommendation from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to authorize Oxford University/AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine for use.”
Health Ministry
AstraZeneca and other developers have said they are studying the impact of the new variant but expect that their shots will be effective against it.
“Today is an important day for millions of people in the U.K. who will get access to this new vaccine. It has been shown to be effective, well-tolerated, simple to administer and is supplied by AstraZeneca at no profit.”
AstraZeneca’s CEO Pascal Soriot
