‘Game changer AstraZeneca vaccine needs to be rolled out rapidly’

THE newly-approved Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine is a “game changer”, according to the Mayor of London, but his commendations did not come without a stark warning to Londoners.

The approval of another Covid-19 vaccine in the UK, which was announced on Wednesday December 30, has been celebrated by numerous politicians and health chiefs, not only for its success, but for the short time in which it has taken scientists to develop.

PM Boris Johnson called the vaccine development “a triumph”, while England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty praised the “considerable collective effort that has brought us to this point”.

The UK has already ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine, which is enough to vaccinate 50 million people, and combined with the already approved PfizerBioNTech jab, this will cover the entire population, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.

Taking to Twitter, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan also celebrated the speedy and successful vaccine development, but urged the government to act quickly in their efforts to roll out the new vaccine.

He said: “This vaccine is a game changer in our fight against coronavirus.

“We need the government to now rapidly accelerate the vaccine rollout with an ambitious national plan to deliver at least two million vaccinations a week.

“It’s incredible that this lifesaving vaccine, which has undergone rigorous testing and approval, was developed in such a short time. I’m sure I speak for all Londoners in expressing my gratitude to everyone involved – from the scientists to those who volunteered in the trials.”

The first doses of the new vaccine were due to be given on

Monday. Unlike the existing Pfizer-BioNTech jab, the Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine can be kept at fridge temperature, so is easier to distribute. It has shown to be 62%-90% effective, depending on the number of doses given.

While the news will be a cause of celebration for many, in particular the elderly and vulnerable, Mr Khan was keen to remind Londoners that “2021 may be in sight, but we cannot let our guard down now”.

In London, Covid cases are a serious cause of concern. Patients are being treated in queueing ambulances outside one hospital due to huge levels of pressure. A junior doctor in the capital has warned oxygen may need to be rationed as NHS workers continue to be “aggressively overstretched” by Covid patients.

14,875 people tested positive for Covid in London alone on Tuesday December 29. Just under 5,000 Covid patients are in hospitals in the capital, more than at any other point during the pandemic.

Mr Khan’s take home message is: “Don’t mix with other households, stay in London, ring in the new year safely at home with the people you live with.”