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.
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.
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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.