The United Kingdom is now the first Western nation to approve a COVID-19 vaccine.
Regulators granted emergency authorization Wednesday morning for the vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech.
The first doses will be rolled out across the country next week, according to national media reports.
The UK ordered 40 million doses of the vaccine, which will vaccinate 20 million people, starting with elderly people in care homes, healthcare workers and first responders.
Then it will filter down to the general public by age with older groups coming first, followed by individuals with underlying health conditions.
The final analysis of the Pfizer vaccine’s Phase 3 trial showed it was 95% effective in preventing infections even in older adults and caused no safety concerns.
No country until Wednesday had authorized a fully-tested coronavirus vaccine, as Russia and China approved vaccines without large-scale efficacy test results.
Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton reportedly all volunteered to receive their COVID-19 vaccines on camera to promote public confidence in its safety.
In addition, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that there are three priority groups who will receive the vaccine in California: acute care workers, those employed in skilled nursing homes, paramedics and those at dialysis centers.
The second tier includes those in intermediate care facilities, home healthcare and community health workers, public health field staff, those in primary care clinics including rural health centers, correctional facility clinics and urgent care clinics.
Finally, the third tier will include those at specialty clinics, laboratory workers, those with jobs at dental/oral health clinics and pharmacy staff not working in the higher tiers.
email: gmccormick@newspress.com
