Pfizer and BioNTech SE COVID-19 Vaccine Approved In The UK, Expected To Make 50 Million Doses

The United Kingdom is set to approve the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech SE next week, according to the Financial Times. The news report came out on Saturday, noting that deliveries of the vaccine will start within hours after the approval.

This COVID-19 vaccine candidate has proven 95% effective in stopping the spread of the coronavirus. The country has ordered 40 million doses with the plan for the first immunizations as early as December 7.

The UK has also bought 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca. The country has asked its medical regulator MHRA to assess the vaccine to prepare for a rollout.

Current junior business minister Nadhim Zahawi will be in charge of the deployment of the vaccines in the UK. The decision was made on Saturday and announced by the Prime Minister.

Recently, BioNTech and Pfizer announced that their COVID-19 vaccine is 95 percent effective after US firm Moderna announced the same effectiveness rate with their own vaccine candidate.

Additionally, BioNTech and Pfizer reported that their vaccine didn’t cause any serious side effects. The only noteworthy effects included fatigue and headaches, found on just 2 percent of the participants.

People also concerned that the vaccine would not work as effectively on the elderly. But the companies reported that the vaccine proved 94% effective in adults older than 65 years. BioNTech and Pfizer's trials involved 42 percent of all the participants coming from various ethnic backgrounds and 41 percent from 56 to 85 years old.

Apart from that, the firms announced they are expecting to make 50 million doses by year-end and 1.3 billion by the end of next year. Each person will need two doses to get full efficacy.

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