Ready for inoculation
UK to start distribution of COVID vaccines as early as next week
The United Kingdom could see novel coronavirus vaccines being given out as early as Dec 7 after the Financial Times reported that an independent regulator was ready to approve a vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech in the next few days.
In the ordinary course of events, vaccines would also need to be approved by the European Medicines Agency, of which the UK remains a member until the end of the Brexit transition period at the end of the year.
But in emergency situations such as this, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has the power to issue temporary authorization.
On Friday, the government also wrote to the medical regulator to ask if it could review another vaccine, created by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford.
Initial enthusiasm for this potential breakthrough, however, has been dampened by confusion over the consistency of the dosage given to people during the trial process.
“If these vaccines are approved, the (National Health Service) stands ready to roll them out as soon as safely possible,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said.
Storage conditions
The Pfizer treatment requires two separate injections, and the vaccine would need to be stored at around minus 70 C, with a fridge life of five days before it can be administered.
It had been thought that the likely first recipients of the vaccine, distributed through community doctors and NHS hospitals, would include the staff and residents of care homes.
The Guardian newspaper reported however that the sensitivity of the vaccine means transportation could affect its effectiveness, which may impact how it can be used.
“We’ve been told to expect the vaccine on Dec 7 and plan to start vaccinating our staff all that week,” one senior hospital executive told The Guardian.
“However, it’s the Pfizer vaccine we’re getting, so it can’t be moved again once it gets to us and we then have to use it within five days, as that’s its shelf life.
“The original plan was to do care homes first. But once the vaccine gets to us it can’t be used in the community, so only NHS staff will be able to have it, at least initially.”
Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, which represents the UK’s largest care home providers, was unhappy at the reported change of priorities.
“We had a commitment (from the government) that care home residents would be first in the queue,” he said. “The reason is they are most susceptible to death from the virus. That commitment has to be honored.
“(The government) knew this was the vaccine and they knew it required little movement so why did they make the announcement it was care home staff and residents first?”
On Saturday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed Business Minister Nadhim Zahawi to take responsibility for the national deployment of vaccines.