Britain's regulators today approved Pfizer/BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine, paving the way for mass vaccination to start in just days.
Officials said the jab — which the UK has ordered 40million doses of — will be made available 'from next week' as Health Secretary Matt Hancock declared 'help is on its way'.
Department of Health and Social Care officials made the announcement just after 7am this morning, as England left its second national lockdown and shops reopened for 'wild Wednesday'.
Pfizer/BioNTech's vaccine has been shown to block 95 per cent of coronavirus infections in late-stage trials, with equal efficacy among younger volunteers and those over 65 who are most at risk from Covid.
Mr Hancock declared the end of the pandemic was 'in sight' today, revealing that 800,000 doses of the jab will be available next week — enough to vaccinate 400,000 people because it is administered in two shots — but conceded the bulk of the roll out won't happen until the New Year.
He said: 'The NHS stands ready to start vaccinating early next week. The UK is the first country in the world to have a clinically approved vaccine for supply.' Mr Hancock revealed those 'who are vulnerable from Covid' will be first in line, meaning care home residents and workers will be first to be contacted — despite claims NHS workers would be first.
And Mr Hancock urged England to abide by the controversial three-tier lockdown system that came into force today after being approved last night, saying the end is 'in sight' and that 'we’ve got to keep people safe in the meantime'. He told BBC Breakfast: 'From Easter onwards, things are going to be better and we’re going to have a summer next year that everybody can enjoy.'
In total, Britain will receive 10million doses of Pfizer/BioNTech's vaccine by the end of the year, enough to inoculate 5million people, with the remaining 40million doses due in the first quarter of 2021.
Government advisers will meet today to iron out a final vaccine priority list, following reports that NHS workers would now be first in line to be inoculated. The most recent guidance, drawn up by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), says care home residents and the staff who look after them should be prioritised.
However, Pfizer's jab has to be stored at -70C which makes transporting the vaccine to care homes a logistical nightmare. Many NHS hospitals are already equipped with the super-cold freezers, which means health staff are likely to be immunised first.
After NHS staff and care homes, everyone over the age of 80 will be prioritised next for a vaccine, with those above the age of 75 next in the queue.
They will be followed by over-70s, over-65s and high-risk adults under 65 with diseases such as cancer. They will be followed by moderate risk adults under 65 - including diabetics and asthmatics.
Over-60s will be next, with over-55s and over-50s the final priority groups. It is hoped every vulnerable Brit will be protected by Easter, which has raised hopes of returning to normality by spring.
The general population will be last to get their hands on a jab and the JCVI says they will be prioritised based on age or underlying conditions.
A spokesman for the DHSC added: 'The Government has today accepted the recommendation from the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to approve Pfizer/BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine for use.
'This follows months of rigorous clinical trials and a thorough analysis of the data by experts at the MHRA who have concluded that the vaccine has met its strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.
'The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) will shortly also publish its latest advice for the priority groups to receive the vaccine, including care home residents, health and care staff, the elderly and the clinically extremely vulnerable.
'The vaccine will be made available across the UK from next week.'
Speaking to Sky News Mr Hancock added there would be 'three modes of delivery' of the vaccine.
He said: 'The first is hospitals themselves, which of course we've got facilities like this.
'50 hospitals across the country are already set up and waiting to receive the vaccine as soon as it's approved, so that can now happen.
'Also vaccination centres, which will be big centres where people can go to get vaccinated. They are being set up now.
'There will also be a community rollout, including GPs and pharmacists.
'Now, of course, because of the -70C storage conditions of this vaccine, they will be able to support this rollout where they have those facilities.
'But they'll also be there should the AstraZeneca vaccine be approved because that doesn't have these cold storage requirements and so is operationally easier to roll out.'
He added: 'We're the first country in the world to have a clinically-authorised vaccine to roll out.'
Just days ago hospitals in England were told to prepare for the rollout of a Covid-19 vaccine in as soon as 10 days, it has been reported, with NHS staff first in line to receive it.
The first deliveries of the vaccine created by Pfizer/BioNTech were slated to come between December 7 and December 9.
This vaccine, which reported early results suggesting the jab is 95 per cent effective, needs to be stored at extremely low temperatures.
One senior hospital executive had been told to expect the vaccine on December 7 to give to NHS staff during the following week.
On November 20, the Health Secretary said he had formally asked the medicines regulator to assess the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for use in the UK.
Matt Hancock hailed it as 'another important step forward in tackling this pandemic'.
Cost of Covid: 'We will be through this by spring,' says Hancock.
But he said while the regulator's approval would see a rollout ready to start next month, there is 'still a long way to go'.
And the MHRA confirmed last Monday it had received the necessary data to progress its review into whether the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine meets the required standards.
From the moment the Pfizer vaccine leaves the factory in Belgium it can only be taken out of minus 70C four times before it is injected into a patient's arm.
Sir Simon Stevens, chief executive of the NHS in England, said the vaccination programme would be the 'largest-scale vaccination campaign in our country's history'.
In a statement, he said: 'This is an important next step in our response to the coronavirus pandemic and hospitals will shortly kick off the first phase of the largest-scale vaccination campaign in our country's history.
'The NHS has a proven track record of delivering large-scale vaccinations from the winter flu jab to BCG and, once the final hurdles are cleared and the vaccine arrives in England's hospitals, health service staff will begin offering people this ground-breaking jab in a programme that will expand to cover the whole country in the coming months.'
Pfizer/BioNTech's jab is to be shipped in special suitcase-sized storage containers which will keep it at ultra-low temperatures until it is ready to be administered, using dry ice.
Special GPS trackers will mean that the temperature of the vaccine can be remotely monitored to ensure it stays at the correct heat to keep it effective.
Details of how the vaccine could be transported and stored emerged following concerns that the NHS may face difficulties handling a vaccine which needs to be stored at -70C.
Each of the containers, dubbed 'shippers', holds around 1,000 doses and will be fitted with thermal sensors to enable the pharmaceutical giant to track the location and temperature of the frozen vaccine vials.
The thermal shipping systems can be recharged with dry ice if needed, Pfizer said. Vaccines will be shipped by air and road, but not boat due to the time constraints.
And once the vaccine has been transported it can be stored in a fridge for up to five days at 2-8C, which is entirely feasible in a standard medicine fridge at a GP practice.
Mr Hancock told Sky News: 'This is a challenging rollout and the NHS in all parts of the UK stands ready to make that happen. They are used to handling vaccines and medicines like this, with these sorts of conditions.
'It’s not easy but we’ve got those plans in place, so this morning I spoke to my counterparts in the devolved nations to make sure that we are all ready to roll out this vaccine … from early next week.'
In November, Mr Hancock said that rolling out a Covid vaccine to the masses could pose a 'mammoth logistical operation'.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
