invo.nyarango.me

Tag: UK

  • The UK Approves AstraZeneca Vaccine


    By: Sumaya Hussein (husseinsumaya1@gmail.com)

    Thumbnail photo courtesy of The Times.


    The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved by the UK medicines regulator, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA). This makes it the second vaccine to be approved in the UK after Pfizer.


    The approval by the body of the came after weeks of examining trial data by experts and it was concluded that the vaccine met its strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.
    The vaccination programme will start on Monday and will aim to reach millions of people in at-risk categories as quickly as possible.


    The new variant of the virus causing high rates of infection has made vaccination much more urgent. The government’s joint committee on vaccination and immunization (JCVI) has advised that priority should be to give as many at-risk groups their first dose of either the Oxford or Pfizer vaccine, other than providing two doses in four weeks.

    AstraZeneca PLC company. Photo courtesy of EPA.


    “Everyone will still receive their second dose and this will be within 12 weeks of their first. The second dose completes the course and is important for long term protection,” said a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).


    AstraZeneca said its vaccine would be made available to some of the poorest regions of the world at low cost and not being manufactured for profit. CEO of the company, Pascal Soriot, said AstraZeneca could provide the UK with up to 2 million doses a week and would start shipping the first doses “today or tomorrow”.


    “The good news with this is we are going to be able to inject a lot of people with one dose very quickly, provide them with a reasonably good dose of protection until they get their second dose two to three months later. That will enable us to protect more people because we can wait two to three months for the second dose,” added Soriot.

    Pascal Soriot, AstraZeneca CEO. Photo courtesy of EPA.


    The UK has ordered 100m doses of the vaccine and eventually, all adults will be offered, according to Matt Hancock, the UK health secretary.
    “Because we’ve got enough of this vaccine on order to vaccine the whole population – we’ve got 100m doses on order- add that to the 30m doses of Pfizer and that’s enough for two doses for the entire population,” he said in an interview on BBC Breakfast.
    “So I can now say with confidence that we can vaccinate everyone except of course for children because this vaccine has not been trialled on children and anyway children are much less likely to have symptoms from the disease,” he added.

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson, celebrated the news as “truly fantastic news and a triumph for British science”.
    “We will now move to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible.” he tweeted.

  • Elderly UK Woman Becomes First in World to Receive Pfizer Vaccine

    By Sumaya Hussein (husseinsumaya1@gmail.com)

    Thumbnail photo courtesy of Sky News


    The beginning of the end of the pandemic has begun as the first person in the world has been vaccinated outside a clinical trial.


    Margaret Keenan, 90, received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at University Hospital in Coventry, as the NHS launched its biggest ever vaccine campaign on Tuesday. Mrs Keenan, who will turn 91 next week, said being the first was a “privilege” and the “best early birthday present one can wish for”. According to her, having the vaccine meant she could spend time with family and friends in the New Year after being alone for most of 2020.


    “My advice to anyone offered the vaccine is to take it – if I can have it at 90, then you can have it too!” She added.


    Mrs Keenan will receive a booster shot in 21 days to ensure she has the best chance of being protected against the virus.

    Mrs Keenan receives COVID-19 vaccine at the hospital. Photo courtesy of Sky News.


    The UK became the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer vaccine last week. The government has secured 40 million doses of the vaccine which studies have shown is 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 infections in all age groups.


    During the weekend, the vaccine began arriving in batches at a hospital in South London, ahead of the country-wide rollout. At least 800,000 doses enough for 400,000 people were received in the first batch. Vaccinations will be given at dozens of hospital hubs from today called “V-Day” by Health Secretary Matt Hancock. People aged 80 and over together with home care workers will be among the first to receive the vaccines.

    Mrs Keenan getting applauded back to her ward by nurses. Photo courtesy of Mirror UK


    Mr Hancock told Sky News he felt “quite emotional” watching Mrs Keenan have the vaccination.
    “It has been such a tough year for so many people and finally we have our way through it – our light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.
    “And just watching Margaret there- it seems so simple having a jab in your arm, but that will protect Margaret and it will protect the people around her,” he added.


    Mrs Parson, the nurse who gave Mrs Keenan the vaccine, said it was a “huge honour” to be the first in the country to deliver the vaccine to a patient.
    “The last few months have been tough for all of us working in the NHS, but now it feels like there is light at the end of the tunnel,” added Mrs Parson.

    Margaret Keenan walks with nurse Mary Parsons. Photo courtesy of Mirror UK.


    First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon said she “got a lump in her throat” watching the video of the first COVID-19 vaccination being administered.
    “Feels like a milestone moment after a tough year for everyone. The first vaccines in Scotland will be administered today too.” She tweeted.


    NHS England medical director Stephen Powis said on Sunday that beginning COVID vaccinations “feels like the beginning of the end”, but warned the campaign will be a “marathon, not a sprint”.