International
oi-Madhuri Adnal
London, Dec 02: The UK on Wednesday became the first country to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19, paving the way for mass vaccinations against the deadly novel coronavirus from as early as next week.
The British regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA), says the jab, which claims to offer up to 95 per cent protection against COVID-19 illness, is safe for roll out.
The UK government said the approval follows a “rigorous” analysis of the data, conducted at a faster pace but without any compromise on standards.
“I am thrilled. Help is on its way…we can see the dawn. Let’s redouble our efforts to follow the lockdown rules,” said UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
“It’s been a very tough 2020 but 2021 will be brighter,” he said.
The government has formally accepted the recommendation from the MHRA, which means the…