Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine approved for use in UK

London: Use of Oxford University-AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine has been approved to use by UK on Wednesday with the first shots expected to be given on January 4. The step by the UK might pave the way for authorisation of the vaccine in several countries including India.

UK has already vaccinated hundreds of thousands of patients with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and with Oxford University-AstraZeneca's vaccine the country now has two vaccines to fight the pandemic.

The approval by the UK might pave the way for authorisation of the vaccine in several countries including India

"It is truly fantastic news - and a triumph for British science - that the @UniofOxford/@AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved for use. We will now move to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible," UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a tweet.

The UK has ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine which is enough to vaccinate 50 million people.

"This vaccine will be made available to some of the poorest regions of the world at a low cost, helping protect countless people from this awful disease," Matt Hancock, UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said in a statement.

"It is a tribute to the incredible UK scientists at Oxford University and AstraZeneca whose breakthrough will help to save lives around the world."

The UK medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), concluded that the vaccine has met its strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.

The UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that priority should be to give to as many people in at-risk groups as possible their first dose, rather than providing the required two doses in as short a time as possible, the UK government said.

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 longer term protection, it added.

The approval of the "COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca" will give a big shot in the arm to the UK government's fight against the disease amid rising cases and fear of the recently discovered new strain making the situation worse.

The Serum Institute of India is manufacturing the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in India.

(From IANS with edits)