10 Million Units Initially Available
Vaccination Expected in Order of Nursing Homes, Medical Workers, and Elderly
[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] The UK government has become the first in the world to approve the emergency use of Pfizer-BioNTech's novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine. It is expected that 10 million doses will be available for initial use, with the first shipment arriving in the UK within days.
On the 2nd (local time), the UK Department of Health announced, "Today, we have accepted the recommendation from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to approve the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine," adding, "The vaccine will be available across the UK starting next week."
The UK is the first country worldwide to approve the emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccine jointly developed by the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer and the German biotechnology firm BioNTech. Previously, the UK government officially requested the MHRA to conduct a suitability assessment for the Pfizer vaccine approval on the 20th of last month.
Russia has approved its domestically developed 'Sputnik V' vaccine, and the Chinese military has authorized the use of the 'CanSino Biologics' vaccine internally, but this is the first time a vaccine that has undergone proper clinical trials and verified immune efficacy has been approved in Western countries.
Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, welcomed the UK's emergency use approval, stating, "We highly appreciate MHRA's careful evaluation and timely action to protect the British people," and added, "While anticipating further vaccine approvals, we will focus on safely supplying high-quality vaccines worldwide."
The UK Department of Health stated that the vaccination program will begin early next week following the approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. In this regard, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is expected to soon release guidelines containing recommendations on vaccination priority.
Experts have already provisionally recommended that vaccinations should be administered in the order of care home residents and staff, people aged 80 and over, and health and medical workers. Subsequently, vaccinations are expected to proceed in order for those aged 50 and above, and younger individuals with underlying health conditions. The UK government has pre-ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to provide two doses to 20 million people, which is one-third of the population. Of these, 10 million doses are expected to be available for initial use, with the first shipment arriving in the UK within days.
The Pfizer vaccine approved for use this time showed an immune efficacy rate of 95% in clinical trials. The challenge lies in distribution. This vaccine must be stored at an ultra-low temperature of minus 70 degrees Celsius and transported using special boxes filled with dry ice. Regarding this, Pfizer stated, "Once it arrives at the vaccination site, it can be stored in a refrigerator at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius for up to five days." Pfizer-BioNTech expects to produce 50 million doses this year and supply 1.3 billion doses by the end of next year.
Meanwhile, experts have stated that even after vaccinations begin, it will take considerable time to achieve herd immunity, so current measures such as social distancing, wearing masks, COVID-19 testing, and self-isolation must continue to be maintained.
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