Mission Vaccine: UK to roll out vaccine in next few days; mass vaccination prog ongoing in Russia

World

In a major relief to the post-lockdown world, UK became the first country to authorize Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for emergency use. As per sources, the first vaccinations are expected within days which is being seen as a major step toward eventually ending the pandemic. American drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech gets the green signal as cases surge again in the United States and Europe.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock officially announced that said the U.K. expects to receive “millions of doses” by the end of this year. Two doses three weeks apart are required for protection. Many felt India is closer to its Covid-19 vaccine hunt as Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation and informed the opposition leaders that a COVID-19 vaccine is expected to be ready in the next few weeks. The PM further added that as soon as scientists give a green signal, vaccination will start in India.

German BioNTech biopharmaceutical company and its US partner Pfizer have submitted a formal application to register their vaccine against coronavirus in the EU. This will allow EU nations to start vaccinating their population before the end of the current year. Russia with its Sputnik V said that more than two million doses of the Sputnik V jab will be available in the next few days. The country will be leading a massive wide immunisation effort.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered the launch of a large-scale COVID-19 immunisation campaign even though a Russian-designed vaccine is yet to enter the final stages of clinical trails.