UK Approves Oxford-AstraZeneca Coronavirus Vaccine For Use

The UK government has approved the use of the AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine. There are plans to roll out the vaccine soon.

(Representative Image/ Getty)

New Delhi: UK has approved the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine for use. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) gave its necessary approval after concluding that the vaccine met its standards of safety, quality, and effectiveness. United Kingdom had already approved the US-based pharma company Pfizer's vaccine for Covid-19 and started mass level inoculation. As per reports, over 600,000 people have been vaccinated since Pfizer-BioNtech coronavirus vaccine got the mandatory approval. Pascal Soriot, CEO of AstraZeneca , excalimed that the approval in the UK is a significant step towards the fight against this pandemic.

In 2020, teams across AstraZeneca have risen to the challenges #COVID19 has posed to global health. Today’s advancement is a significant step forward in the fight against this pandemic. #WhatScienceCanDo pic.twitter.com/z8LvuFFMhS

— AstraZeneca (@AstraZeneca) December 30, 2020

National Health Service (NHS) in the UK says it will begin putting their extensive preparations into action to roll out the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Those in the high-risk groups will be given priority. "From today the NHS across the UK will prioritise giving the first dose of the vaccine to those in the most high-risk groups. With two vaccines now approved, we will be able to vaccinate a greater number of people who are at highest risk, protecting them from the disease and reducing mortality and hospitalisation," the UK government said according to the report. READ: Variation In Covid-19 Strains Will Not Make Vaccines Ineffective, Says Health Ministry Initially, around 50 hospitals in the country's state-run National Health Service (NHS) began administering the Covid-19 vaccine to individuals over 80 of age that are either hospitalized or have outpatient appointments scheduled. Additionally, some health and care staff have also received the vaccine.